


Frozen Lilacs

by ArcanusAnima



Series: A Walk through the Garden [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fae & Fairies, Fluff, Karkat's language, Kitsune, M/M, even though it's really not that bad I feel like that needs a tag, even though it's what they're there for, i guess that's it for now, misuse of windows, more tags when they become relevant, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7516388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcanusAnima/pseuds/ArcanusAnima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John saves a small orange sprite from freezing out in the woods.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This seriously got away from me. I was going for a small drabble and instead got a short story. There will be at least one more chapter of this if people are interested. This is also my first published work so constructive criticism is welcome.

Looking back on things, storming off into the woods in the middle of winter when you live in Washington probably was not the smartest of ideas. 

Well, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. You had a rough day at school, managed to trip into a snowbank on your way back home, and then your dad had already filled the kitchen with sugary treats. You just really needed a break. So without a thought you had turned right around and started off to the woods close to your house. 

And now here you were, trudging through snow that nearly comes up to the top of your boots, wandering deeper into the woods with the little sunlight slowly disappearing. This was not a good idea. 

You blow on your gloved hands before shoving them deep into your pockets. Growing up with Washington winters all your life gives you some immunity from the cold but you’re reaching your limit. You do not need to end up sick on top of all of this. 

You turn around to start the long trek back home. Luckily mother nature has decided to be kind and it has yet to start snowing again, so your footprints are still easily visible. As you take a step forward a strange glow catches your eye. 

Being the middle of winter all of the trees around your are covered in a mix of ice and snow. The pine trees especially hold massive amounts of the stuff, and you had to dodge out of the way of falling snow multiple times on your walk out here. This one tree, however, is completely void of any wintery concoction. In fact there is a small ring around the tree where fresh grass growing. Then there is also the fact that the tree is glowing orange. 

Wait, no. The tree itself isn’t glowing. As you get closer you see there is a small hole in the tree from which the glow is coming from. Stretching up you cautiously take a peek.

Curled up in a tiny ball on a pile of leaves is a strange, orange...thing. You can tell whatever it is has bird-like wings, and you think that’s a tail wrapped around it too. The creature is emitting a soft orange light which is what you noticed in the first place. 

“Wow, I’ve never seen anything like you before.” You stare in curiosity as the creature reacts to your voice. A head pops up from under a wing, looking shockingly human. It barely seems to register your presence before slumping back down and shivering pitifully. 

“Oh, hey little buddy. You don’t look like you’re doing too good.” The poor thing is just barely shivering and though the tree and the surrounding area is a good bit warmer than everywhere else the little, you think it might be a faerie or sprite, being looks like it might just freeze any second. “I know! You can come home with me! We can get you warmed up and maybe I’ll even figure out what you are,” you babble happily. 

The, you know what you are just going to call it a sprite until you figure out something else. The sprite gives no reaction to you sticking your hand in and gently picking it up. Bringing the sprite closer you can see that it has a human-like upper body, little arms and talloned hands included, that transitions into a smooth but otherwise featureless tail. Feathered wings sprout from its back and a small plume of feathers surrounds its neck. There isn’t a single other color besides orange on its body. 

You quickly unzip your coat and tuck the sprite into your scarf close to your neck. You can feel just how cold the sprite is and you waste no more time in zipping your coat back up and starting back to your house at a brisk walk. Sometime during your trip you feel the sprite shift closer to your neck and begin to shiver in earnest. You think that’s a good thing, since that means it’s starting to warm up and react more. 

The sun has long since set by the time you make it back to your house and talk down your dad from your disappearing act. By the time you make it up to your room you are exhausted. You nearly fall flat onto your bed before you remember your new friend. 

You carefully shuck off your coat, hanging it up so that it can dry, and move to support the small bundle that has made itself at home up against your neck. Besides initially moving closer to your warmth and shivering the sprite hasn’t moved. The shivering has subsided greatly by now, and when you unravel your scarf there is a sharp peep of protest. 

“Hey, you are still alive! I was beginning to worry!” you cheerfully finish removing both the scarf and the glaring sprite. You set both on the bed and proceed to take a seat as well. The sprite burrows deeper into your scarf until you can only see its eyes, still locked onto you. 

“So, welcome to my room! Since you can move around and glare at me I guess you’re feeling better. What were you doing out in a tree anyways? Actually, what are you? I kind of thought you were a sprite or a faerie or something but I have no idea! I’m only really familiar with ghosts. Unless you’re really some kind of orange glowy ghost! That would be so awesome! I’ve never met a real ghost before!” you break off from your mini rant to grin down at the scarf bundle. 

The sprite rolled its, his? The more you look the more you think those are male features, you should really just ask and also ask for a name since that would also be helpful. Anyways the sprite rolled its eyes at you and opened its mouth to answer, except all that came out was a tiny peep. The sprite’s expression becomes more annoyed, probably not helped any by your muffled laughter. 

With a huff the sprite wriggles its way out of your scarf and floated up to pout right in your face. You fail to hold back your laughter again. 

“Sorry! It’s just, you sounded like an angry newborn chick or something. But I guess that means you can’t talk, which makes asking for your name a bit difficult.” You frown as that sinks in. For whatever reason you just kind of thought that you would be able to get all the answers from this guy. You never even thought about a language barrier. 

The sprite has drifted off towards your desk while you were distracted with your thoughts. Finding a pencil that's been eaten away by excessive use the sprite begins to awkwardly write something on a scrap piece of paper. You watch as letters slowly take form, D-A-V-E. Dave. “Your name is Dave?” you ask and Dave nods. 

At least you have a name now. “Nice to meet you, Dave! My name is John,” you introduce yourself. “So, Dave. What are you? Pretty sure I’ve never seen any kind of bird that looks like you before.”

Dave puffs up angrily and goes back to work at writing his answer. You take a seat and wait until Dave shoves the paper towards you with FAERIE now scribbled on it. 

“You are a faerie then. Darn, I was kind of hoping you were a ghost,” you mutter to yourself. “What were you doing out in the woods? Considering how I found you I really doubt you’re suited for the cold weather.”

Dave scowls but also seems hesitant to answer you. Eventually he scrawls out a simple NEEDED A BREAK and then drops the pencil on the desk to cross his arms. That’s all the answer you're going to get on that it seems. 

“Hey, I get it! That’s the same reason I was out there tonight too. Sometimes you just need to get away from everything for a bit.” Dave nods at your words and relaxes from his tense posture. “Well if you don't mind putting up with me you can stay here for however long you want,” you offer with a hopeful smile. Dave could stay here away from whatever was troubling him, and not freeze to death outside, and you would gain an awesome new friend! It’s win-win!

Dave contemplates your offer for some time, and your smile starts to slip from your face. Maybe he needs to get home? Or maybe he just doesn’t want to stay with you. He certainly wouldn’t be the first.

A pencil smacks your fingers, drawing your attention back to Dave. He’s frowning at you, but once you’re looking at him he gives you a small grin and a nod. Your smile is back in full force.

“Yes! This will be great! We can build pillow forts and watch movies, do you know what movies are?, and if you stay long enough you can come to school with me and oh! You can help me prank people! That would be awesome! And-” you continue to ramble on, missing the way Dave’s smile softens. 

Dave interrupts you again by pushing the paper he’s been writing on against your hand. FOOD? is now written at the bottom with Dave tapping at it. “Oh, jeez you’re probably hungry after all that! I don’t know what all we have to eat, well besides absurd amounts of cake and other sweets. Not that you’d want any of that -” you stop mid sentence as suddenly Dave is right in your face, tiny hands pressed against your nose and eyes looking at you intensely. 

Your face scrunches up at the thought of someone actually wanting that sugary monstrosity. “Dude, are you sure you want cake? That stuff is made from the devil herself!” Dave doesn’t seem to care and points towards your door as if to say hurry up. “Ugh, fine! I’ll go get you some nasty cake.”

You hurry downstairs and grab a slice of cake without drawing your father’s attention. Which is good since he would probably try to shove even more cake at you if he saw you take this much. Even now you just know that there will be some “I’m proud of you, son” note for you in the morning. Ugh, parents.

You get back to your room to find Dave going through your things on your desk. A number of papers are now scattered on the floor. “I got you your shitty cake,” you tell Dave as you place said cake onto your now significantly messier desk. 

Dave stops investigating your, quite impressive if you do say so, collection of movies and all but attacks the slice of cake. He shovels in bite after bite as if he hasn't eaten in days. Although, considering the circumstances, who knows when he last ate something. You busy yourself with cleaning up the mess he’s made. Don’t want to lose any of it, especially that piece of homework that’s due on Monday.

The cake is half gone when Dave is finished. It’s quite impressive considering that the cake was bigger than he was. Now he just looks drowsy and very content, slouching back with wings drooping. Now that you think about it sleep sure sounds like a great idea. Today suddenly seems like it’s been the longest day ever. 

“But where will you sleep?” you ask, mainly to yourself. It’s not like Dave will take up much room, but you also don't have a miniature bed that he could sleep in either. Dave ends up deciding for you, floating over to your bed and curling up on your pillow. 

“You do realize that’s where I sleep, right? I make no guarantees that I won’t roll over and squish you in the night,” you tell him, only getting a vague arm wave and Dave curling up tighter into a ball and covering himself with his wing. You shake your head and gather up some clothes to sleep in and head to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

You return from the bathroom and turn off the lights, relying on the light from your clock to make sure you don't trip over anything. Dave coincidently makes the job easier, still emitting a soft orange light. Making it to your bed you put your glasses safely on the dresser before getting under the covers. You make sure not to disturb the opposite side of the pillow where Dave already seems to be fast asleep. 

Pulling the covers up you let your mind go over everything that has happened today. Your day had gone from crap to meeting a mythical being who is currently sleeping on your pillow. You think you might be taking all of this a little too well. Then again you have always been a weird kid. Maybe it will really hit you tomorrow. For now you allow yourself to sink into the comforting embrace of sleep. 

 

You wake up the next morning to the sun shining in your face and an odd ball of warmth on the back of your neck. You reach up to rub your eyes, wondering why you didn't close your curtains the night before. You go to turn over away from the light when an agitated peep makes you freeze. Yesterday’s events flash through your mind. You wandered into the woods and came back with an orange faerie named Dave.

You jolt up as it hits you. “Holy shit, that actually happened!” You're grinning at nothing, lost in the realization that you have a magical being right here in- oh. 

In your excitement you didn't notice that the warm ball that had been on your neck was actually Dave. The same Dave who was glaring up at you and making disgruntled, yet sleepy, peeps. ‘How dare you disturb my sleep you lowly mortal’ you are sure is what he is saying.

“Woops. Sorry, Dave. I kind of forgot you were here.” Dave merely continues to glare at your before lazily rising up only to land in your hair. He shifts around for a second and then settles down, falling back to sleep. You are left sitting there as soft snores with intermittent peeps break the silence in the room. 

You wait a few minutes to see if Dave will get off of your head. When there’s no sign that he’s going to move any time soon you resign yourself to the addition. This makes your morning trip to the bathroom extremely awkward, but you speed through it as quickly as you can. When you finally make it downstairs to scavenge for food you come across the expected fatherly note with an addition saying that your dad had to go into work and wouldn't be back until later. 

That means you and Dave get the house to yourself for the day! Yes, you are totally going to binge watch movies all day. But first you need to make breakfast. You poke around the kitchen, finally deciding to make some pancakes and eggs since Dave seems to like sweet foods. Pancakes are okay with you since you make them from scratch and not from any of that horrible mix. 

Soon the kitchen is filled with the scent of pancakes and eggs, and there is movement from on top of your head. “Morning, Dave! I hope you like pancakes,” you manage to flip over a few of the miniature pancakes you're making just for Dave to eat. Dave responds with another peep, which you take to mean ‘yes, pancakes are great.’ You finish sliding the last of the pancakes off onto a plate as well as some eggs for you. You take both your plate and Dave’s plate of tiny pancakes to the table and sit down.

“You’re going to have to get down to eat, Dave. I am not letting you get crumbs in my hair.” Dave gives you a peep that you swear sounds sarcastic somehow but floats down to snatch a pancake from his plate. He stares at it for a minute before looking back at you and gesturing at his plate. 

“What, they're just pancakes. You eat them just like the cake.” You stick a piece of pancake in your mouth to demonstrate. Dave just frowns at you and takes his pancake and mimes dipping it in something before staring back at you. Oh. “You want syrup to dip them in?” Dave nods. “Ugh, what is with you and sweet things. I guess that could just be a faerie thing but still. I think we have some in the fridge.” 

Exploring the fridge does in fact reveal that you have syrup for the pancakes. Before you can grab it however an orange blur shoots past and latches itself onto a bottle of apple juice your dad had picked up at some point. You blink, staring at Dave who is- stroking the bottle and letting out soft happy peeps. Okay that’s just weird.

“Dude, you can have some juice as long as you stop that. It’s kind of creepy.” Dave just glares at you, to which you roll your eyes and grab the bottle with him still clinging to it. You go place the juice and syrup on the table and then search for the smallest glass you can find. You succeed in finding one that’s at least a bit smaller than Dave which will just have to do. 

“You have to let go of the bottle if you want me to pour you some juice, Dave,” you tell the faerie. Dave reluctantly releases the juice and you fill up his cup and one for yourself. After pouring out some syrup for Dave you both enjoy your breakfast. 

By the end of it the food is gone, both of you are full, and Dave has managed to get syrup everywhere. “Aw, man. How did you even manage to get syrup in your wings?” you wonder as Dave just give you a pointed look, as if to say ‘what did you expect?’ You collect your dishes and place them in the sink to be washed later. “Come on, we should get you cleaned up before you trail syrup everywhere.”

You end up just filling your bathroom sink with water and a bit of soap and letting Dave dive in. He scrubs himself clean, though he does ask for help reaching the base of his wings even if it was reluctantly. You have to scoop him out of the water when you do though, because as soon as you start rubbing his wings he basically lost all will to keeping himself afloat and you were afraid he would drown. He comes to once you stop, snatching the dry washcloth you offer him with cheeks a bright yellow. 

You and Dave do spend the entire day watching movies. You have a feeling if Dave could talk he would be criticizing your choice in cinematic films if the look on his face tells you anything. Luckily he can’t do anything but scowl and peep at you so you get to enjoy the movies. The day goes by quickly while you're having fun, and there’s only a momentary panic when your dad gets home and you scramble to hide Dave. Unfortunately that panic then turns to embarrassment as Dave dives into your shirt. You stutter awkwardly all the way through dinner. It doesn't help that Dave can’t just stay still and whenever he moves you have to fight not to laugh. You flee to your room as soon as you can, though you do grab some cookies for Dave. 

You spend the rest of the night watching more movies on your computer, and eventually both of you pass out at some point. You wake up once again with Dave curled up against your neck. The day is spent with the two of you goofing off again. 

Dave does come to school with you on Monday, hiding in your sweatshirt. He even manages to dart out and tie the shoelaces of one of the jerks that tends to pick on you. When the guy goes to shove you all he manages to do is trip and fall flat on his face. You burst out laughing while you run for safety, curses trailing after you. 

That sets the stage for the rest of the week, whenever you get into a tight spot Dave ninjas you a way out of it. Everything from tying more shoelaces together to subtly unzipping backpacks so that books and papers spill everywhere. By the end of the week everyone stays away from you, probably convinced that you have some sort of spirit following after you. Which isn't that far from the truth! Even though the truth is just that Dave is super fast and really tiny so no one ever sees him. 

Outside of school you and Dave continue to bond over movies and random games. You break down some pencils so that it's easier for the two of you to talk. Dave never really tells you anything about his personal life, just little stuff like his obsession with apple juice - which you had already figured out - and also that he wrote raps and drew, kind of terrible, comics. Nothing about his world or anything though. You didn't question it, content to have your first close friend.

Winter break starts up soon enough, giving you and Dave uninterrupted time to hang out. You take him outside for small bits of time to play in the snow, but always come inside once Dave starts to shiver and dives into your scarf. You’ve gotten used to him basically snuggling up to you seeking warmth, to the point where you always check where he is each morning before moving in bed since he always gravitates to you during the night. 

The holidays pass in a haze of presents and amazing food, both of which you make sure to give to Dave. You bake a small cake, completely from scratch of course!, and decorate it in shades of orange and surprise Dave with it. He looks at the cake in amazement when you tell him it's all his to eat. When he discovers that it’s actually an apple cake he flies up to your face, plants a kiss directly on your nose, and gives you such an intense look you have no regrets for the hours it took to find a good recipe and make the cake. The next day Dave surprises you with a present of his own. You're not sure if it's glass or some sort of gemstone, but whatever it is has been carved into three delicate flames that shine in reds and oranges. It gives off a slight warmth, much like Dave does. You don't know where he got it, but you highly suspect that he somehow made it. Your suspicions are backed up when he creates a bracelet out of what seem to be vines so that you can wear his gift. You make sure to wear it every day. 

Things continue without much change until about three weeks after you first met Dave. You wake up late in the morning like normal, having stayed up watching movies again. You don't really want to get up yet, and plan to just roll over and go back to sleep. That plan doesn't work out too well, as when you try to determine where Dave has moved to this time you realize that you're a bit warmer than normal. Also you can't really seem to move all that much since there's something pressed up against your back. As soon as that though registers in your mind you jolt fully awake and fling yourself out of your bed. 

Holy shit why is there a person in your bed? You are positive that the only other person who was in here last night was Dave and- oh no where was Dave? You internally panic while the stranger decides that now is a good time to wake up. Wait a minute, this guy looks a lot like -

“Dude, what is your problem? I thought we were past the whole freaking out way too early in the morning when we should be getting our snooze on.” The guy is sitting up in your bed now as you stare at him incredulously. 

“Dave?” you have to ask. “Yes, my name is Dave. Why are you questioning that. Thought you had that down, you've only been calling me that everyday for weeks now. I mean I know communication via paper isn't exactly the easiest but come on. And why are you staring at me like that? What, have I managed to turn into something even worse than being an orange monstrosity that’s tiny as-” Dave stops his rant short as he waves a hand within his eyesight and seems to finally notice that he’s no longer tiny nor orange. “Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck yes!”

Dave jumps out of bed and starts examining himself. You stay on the floor in shock. Dave looks fully human now with actual legs and a normal if slightly pale skin tone. Thankfully he's acquired pale red pants, so at least he's not naked. Probably the most striking feature, besides the shocking red eyes, and wow those are actually really pretty, are the huge wings coming from Dave’s back. The feathers are gorgeous shades of red that lighten at the tips to the same orange that you're used to seeing on Dave. He’s also kept the scale-like texture on his arms, and now on his legs, and both feet and hands are tipped with small talons. Pale blonde hair and pointed ears finish off the new look.

Dave turns back to you with a huge smile on his face. “Oh man this is great. You have no idea how annoying it is to be so tiny you can barely do anything and not able to talk.” You just continue to stare at Dave before snapping out of it. “Is that really you, Dave?”

Dave’s expression softens and he holds out a hand to help you off the ground. “Yeah, it's really me. This is what I actually look like, not the orange sprite form.” 

You grab Dave’s hand and allow him to pull you up. Wow he's really strong, and oh hey you just noticed he’s not wearing a shirt. Not that that matters or anything! You force your eyes back to Dave’s face to avoid staring. “How did you end up like that then?” Because that’s kind of weird and you’re still freaking out a bit.

Dave looks a bit embarrassed at that, turning away before answering. “Used up too much power breaking through the veil to get to this world. So between that and then landing myself where it’s fucking freezing I had no choice but to change into a smaller form to conserve energy or risk dying. Which would really suck. And I really need to thank you for finding me, not sure how much longer I would have lasted out there in the cold.”

“Well I’m glad that I found you, too! I’d much rather have my best friend Dave instead of popsicle Dave. And hey! Now that you're normal size I can finally do this!” You launch yourself at Dave and wrap your arms around him, being mindful of his wings. Dave stiffens before slowing hugging you back, even bringing his wings around the two of you. 

“Careful, John. You keep this up and you're going to make me swoon.” You snort, slapping Dave lightly on the chest and backing away. “I think I liked it better when you could only peep.”

Dave feigns looking hurt by your words. “Are you saying you would rather have a tiny sprite that can't talk when you could have this fantastic body to look at and the sweetest of raps to grace your ears.” You giggle as he makes a ridiculous pose to show off his “fantastic body.”

You pretend to seriously think about this, making Dave pout. “I guess I’d rather have you like this. At least this way you can't go hide in my clothes anymore.” After that first time Dave started making it a habit to hide in your shirt when people came into the room. He would also bundle up articles of clothing you weren't wearing and make a nest out of them when you weren't looking. There was a time or two when those articles of clothing were your underwear. You did not appreciate that. 

Dave smirks. “I can still get into your clothes if you want.” You blush at the proposition and smack Dave again. Not that you're offended by that. You've come to accept that you're not 100% straight, and Dave is certainly good looking. Plus even without being able to really talk since you met you and Dave have just kind of clicked.

“So now what do we do? I can't really hide a whole person here.” You frown as you realize that this is a serious problem. If you can’t hide Dave he can't stay here. And that means going home for him, and you possibly never getting to see him again. 

Dave is also frowning. “ I really should get home. Kind of been skipping out on my duties and all that. Plus I ran off without telling anyone, so there might be a bit of a panic.” Your heart sinks.

Dave of course notices. “Hey, why don't you come with me? I'm seriously in your debt for basically saving my life. And Striders always repay their debts.” 

“Can I?” you blurt out immediately. Then pause to consider. “Wait, this is just for a visit, right? You can send me back here afterwards? Because I can't just leave my dad.” 

“Yeah of course. We can pop on over a check out my home and be back before your dad gets home tonight. There’s some time difference between our plains of existence. So like I’ve been over here for nearly three weeks, right? Back home it's probably only been about a week max.” You start to relax. This might work then. Then something else occurs to you.

“You won't drain your power again crossing through this barrier thing will you?” Dave shakes his head.

“Nah. I was in a hurry and didn't do things right the first time. Plus it's easier to go back then it is to come here. Differences in magic densities. We just have to go back to where you found me, since that’s the nearest place we’ll be able to cross through the veil.” You start to smile again.

“Then what are we waiting for! I want to go see this magic faerie world!” You dash around your room, gathering up clothes to go change into. “You can borrow any clothes you need so you don't freeze outside!” you shout back at Dave as you rush to the bathroom. 

You come back bundled up and ready go. Dave has managed to find a pair of black sweatpants that fit him well enough, but is staring at a heavy blue sweatshirt in his hands. Oh right, wings. 

“We can cut out some of the back so it will fit,” you tell him as you come up next to him. Now that you're paying attention you notice that Dave is a few inches taller than you.

Dave hands you the sweatshirt. “As long as you don't mind shredding this. Hate for you to destroy your stuff just for me.”

You go over to your desk and grab the scissors. “I’ve had this thing forever, plus it's for a good cause.” You cut two large slits in the back and go to help Dave into it. It’s a bit of a struggle, wings really weren't meant to be shoved into sweatshirts. That's probably why Dave was shirtless, wings and clothing don't really mix all that well. Finally you manage to make it work.

“Okay, now you just need socks and boots. Here, put these on,” you toss a pair of thick socks at him,” and I should have an extra pair of boots somewhere.” You dig through your closet, coming up with an older pair of boots that will work just fine. You let Dave put those on too and then you both head downstairs. 

“I don't think we have any coats that will work for you, but it’s not too long of a walk if we go fast.” You put on your own coat and then pass over your gloves and scarf for Dave to wear. Once you’re both bundled up you head outside to make sure no one is out before waving for Dave to follow you. 

The two of you travel through the woods at a fast pace. You're positive that Dave is already getting cold, curling in on himself and speeding up to the point where you have to jog to keep up. Soon enough you come to the tree where you first found Dave. Now it has a layer of snow on and around it, though it is thinner than the surrounding area as you haven't gotten much fresh snow.

Dave steps past the tree, examining the area behind it. There's nothing there that you can see, but Dave stops at some point and begins to mumble under his breath. Suddenly there's a flash of light and after a spot where reality seems to twist. Dave turns back to you, a smirk on his face as he offers a hand to you.

“You ready, John?” You take a deep breath and grab his hand. “Yeah. Let’s go!” 

Dave tugs you closer and then you're surrounded by flashing colors and an odd pressure and the world as you know it disappears.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John explores a new world and learns some more startling facts about his new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all thank you so much to everyone who is reading this, and especially to everyone who has left a kudos and commented! You guys really motivated me to get this chapter out even faster for you to read. 
> 
> Today's chapter is a bit shorter than the last. But this has officially become an actual story instead of just a drabble and will therefore have even more chapters to come. I don't even know how this happened…
> 
> In other news I have drawn what Dave looks like when he changes back to a humanoid form and my friend drew the cutest picture of the apple juice scene from chapter one. You can find both on my tumblr under the tag Frozen Lilacs (I'm arcanusanima over there too)!

When the world finally returns to normal you first become aware that it is really warm. Really, really warm. You open your eyes and then stare in awe. 

Instead of being surrounded by snow and ice the landscape has transformed into a perfect picture of a spring day. The trees that used to be covered in snow are now in vibrant shades of greens and have a full covering of leaves, some are even sporting small blossoms or fruit. Flowers of all shapes and colors are everywhere. It is the complete opposite of the world you just left behind.

“Oh, wow.” You can hardly believe that just seconds ago you were standing in nearly a foot of snow. Now you want nothing more than to get off all your extra clothes because suddenly you need to worry about heat stroke rather than freezing your ass off. 

“Welcome to Magical Faerie Land, where all your dreams are invaded by disturbingly cute animals and buttloads of glitter.” And of course Dave just had to ruin the moment. You turn to where he’s been standing and watching you for however long you've just been standing here. “Shut up, Dave. It’s kind of a lot to take in. I mean it’s not like I meet a magical being who takes me to another world every day.”

“And here I thought that you went off to play the damsel in distress every other weekend. Getting saved by dashing knights and going on epic quests.” You toss your jacket at Dave before he can really get going. You don’t know if Dave talking so much is due to not being able to talk for some time or if it’s just a Dave Thing. You’re starting to think that it’s the latter. 

“I would totally go on epic quests. But if anyone is the damsel here it’s you. I certainly wasn’t the one who had to be saved from turning into an icicle. Though I guess I can kind of understand that since it’s really hot here!” You’re peeling off your sweatshirt now, leaving you in a t-shirt and jeans. Still not great but at least you don't feel like you’re going to pass out. 

Dave pauses in trying to get out of his own sweatshirt. “Shit you’re right. That was some grade A damsel in distress saving. And now you’re taking off your clothes right in front of me. You’re going to make this fair maiden swoon.” Dave moves his arm up to place the back of his hand against his forehead. Unfortunately this only manages to tangle him up in his shirt which causes him to start cursing.

You laugh as he only ensnares himself further. “Okay, stop. You’re making it worse.” You go over and the two of you struggle to free Dave. “Ow, shit! Feathers are not meant to bend like that, John.” Dave jerks away from you, wings slightly flared out and a few feathers slightly skewed. “Sorry! Maybe if you just bend down we can get it over your head? And then over your wings?” 

Dave scowls. “No, you know what.” With a quick slash Dave shreds the back of the sweatshirt and lets the scraps fall to the ground. “There, problem solved.” He then strips off all the other clothes he had borrowed to once again leave him in the thin red pants he had started out in. 

You look at the now destroyed clothing. “You are really lucky that I didn’t care about that,” you tell him with mock seriousness. Dave just waves you off, focused on meticulously smoothing out the feathers that had been disturbed. 

“So are we just going to stand around in this forest all day so you can preen yourself or are there other things to go see?” Dave frowns at you. 

“Hey, it takes time to look this good. And anyways I need to fix the feathers you tried to mangle or they’ll cause problems.” Dave finishes what he was doing and stretches, extending his wings out fully. They really are something to see, spanning at least twelve feet across the tips. The feathers catch the light in a way that makes them look like they are on fire. 

“Can you actually fly with those?” Even with how large they are it shouldn’t be possible. Then again befriending a magical faerie and traveling to a different world shouldn't be possible either. 

Dave poses a bit for you, flapping his wings to stir up a small breeze. “Of course I can fly. These aren't just for decoration, though they do add to my handsome looks.” You can’t argue that. “But yeah we should get going. Don't want to waste any time.” Dave folds his wings back up and gestures for you to follow him. You glance back at the discarded clothes before deciding that they'll probably be fine. You quickly catch up to Dave.

“So for real, welcome to Skaia. This world runs parallel to yours, which is why travel between the two is possible. Granted it takes a good amount of power and finding a thin spot in the veil to even attempt that. Anyways because your world is lacking in magical energy most people don't bother with it. Just a warning, everyone you see today will not look human. So don't freak out. You might get some strange looks but no one should bother you. Actually you could pass as a Prospitition, which will still get you some looks but that’s a good cover.” Dave trails off a bit, probably realizing that yeah, he just brought someone from another world without much of a plan.

That’s worrying. “You're not going to get in trouble for bringing me here, are you?” As much as you want to see this new world and spend more time with Dave you don't want to get him in trouble.

Dave shakes off whatever he was thinking about. “Nah, it’s fine. Nobody should say anything, and I can get us out of any trouble.” That doesn't sound all that reassuring. 

The two of you continue walking, passing by a mix of both familiar and very alien plants. Some of those plants seem to be moving, and not just in the blowing in the breeze way. Did that one have a face and fangs? You take a step closer to Dave.

Finally, okay it’s only been like ten minutes but still, the trees start to thin and a large outdoor market comes into view. Dave stops you at the edge of the trees and makes a grand gesture. “Welcome to Derse, the Kingdom of the Moon. Here we specialize in crafting the strongest of weapons and the most desired precious stone carvings. This is one of the greatest cities in the land, rivaled only by the Sun Kingdom.” There’s a great amount of pride in Dave’s words, and you can't help but admire the scene before you that much more just to see what Dave must see.

The marketplace stretches across a plane of flat land, consisting of small buildings and tents. The color purple is everywhere, from the tents to the numerous banners placed around the area. The people you can see vary greatly in appearance, some having wings or tails and some not looking human at all. On the far side of the market a grand castle towers into the sky. You're not sure if it's just the lighting, but from here even the castle seems to be made of some type of purple stone. More buildings, which must be where most of the people in Derse live, sit off next to the castle. Further still is a huge mountain range, enclosing the whole area into a valley. 

“Dave, this is amazing! I can’t believe this is where you live!” You can't take your eyes away from the scene in front of you. 

“Yeah, it is pretty great. Couldn't ask for anything better. But if you think it’s impressive now just wait ‘till you see it up close.” Dave grabs your hand and tugs you onward. His hand has an odd texture, nothing like a normal human’s skin but also not as rough as it looks. The closest you can compare it to are hard callouses with a very fine layer of soft, minuscule hairs. You decide that you like the feeling.

As you get closer you have to ask more questions. “So if this is a kingdom and there’s that huge castle over there does that mean you guys have a king and queen and stuff?” You feel Dave’s grip tighten briefly. 

“We have a royal family, but the titles don't really mean anything. They just keep things running smoothly around here. And of course they get to live a life of luxury.” There’s an odd tone to Dave’s voice. You decide to drop the subject. 

You reach the marketplace and Dave starts dragging you through to different stalls. Delicious scents and loud banter fill the air and you marvel at everything on display. When Dave had said that Derse was known for working with precious stones he wasn’t joking. Many merchants were selling gorgeous jewelry and figures, each intricately detailed and unique. Every creature and flower looked so lifelike, and all the abstract designs are flawless and unique. You touch the small flame carving that Dave had gifted you and think that it is easily better than all of the others. 

As you wander around many of the people seem to be watching you. You try to ignore it, but it doesn't seem like they're staring at you. Instead it’s Dave that draws most of the attention. You wonder what that’s about, but with how fast Dave is keeping you moving you don't get the chance to dwell on it. 

At one of the stands Dave starts talking with the owner. You think she must be part dragon with the leathery wings, spiked tail, and claws she sports. Terezi, as Dave calls her, speaks with a raspy hiss and cackles loudly and with great frequency. You just stand by and watch as the two make jabs at each other and laugh at inside jokes. You’re kind of jealous with how well they get along before mentally slapping yourself. Of course they get along, Dave lives here and has probably known Terezi for years. You've only known Dave for a few weeks and didn't even know this world existed until recently. 

Finally Dave wraps up their conversation. Terezi shouts after you, saying that she looks forward to seeing you both again soon. You are left with the picture of her pupil-less red eyes and face split into a wide grin filled with way to sharp teeth. You shiver and vow to forget that ever happened and focus on the treat in your hands. Somehow during their bantering Dave convinced Terezi to give you two some of the food she had been selling. It’s definitely a mix of some different kinds of fruits in a sweet sauce, but you can't really pick out anything that you recognize. Whatever it is it’s delicious and you waste no time in eating all of it. You sigh in content when it’s gone, stomach satisfied with your offering. Running off to another world without breakfast was not your best decision. 

You must have been wandering around for a couple of hours at this point. You had been determined to look at everything you could, asking Dave questions when you could hear over the noise of the crowd. No one has given you any problems and you're having a great time. Of course that's when things go downhill. 

“Strider!”

The noise around you dies down and everyone looks over to where the shout had come from. People are scrambling to get out of the way from a short figure storming towards you. Oh, man does this guy look pissed.

“I can't believe you have the nerve to run off for days and then when you finally decide to show you're stupid ass you're just bumbling around here like a brainless idiot. Do you have any idea what kind of mess you created? Oh, wait. Of course you wouldn't know since you vanished off the fucking face of the planet!”

By the end of his rant this new guy has gotten right up into Dave’s face, despite being a good foot shorter. Dave doesn't seem concerned, but you hover anxiously behind the blonde. Whoever this newcomer is has rough grey skin, a mess of short black hair with two little horns nestled in, sharp yellow nails, bright yellow and black eyes narrowed in anger, and jagged teeth currently bared at Dave. He’s also wearing some sort of armor over his chest and you can see the handles of some type of weapon over his shoulders.  This is probably someone you don't want to mess with. 

Dave leans back ever so slightly. “Chill, Karkat. I’m a free spirit, can't keep me tied down for long. Gotta spread my wings every now and then.” Karkat only gets angrier at Dave’s response. 

“I am sick of your fucking wordplay, Strider. And don't try to dodge the subject. Do you realize what could have happened with that stunt you pulled? In front of the Black Sovereign of all people! You are so lucky that he was amused by the whole thing and hasn't decided to royally fuck us all over.” Karkat gestures wildly as he talks, and you’re getting kind of worried at how close his claws are getting to hitting Dave.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not like he could do that much damage anyway. And it’s all over now so just drop it.” Dave’s whole body had stiffened when Karkat brought up whatever stunt had happened, wings flaring out slightly and partially blocking Karkat from your sight. “Now if you don’t mind I was busy showing John around and plan to keep doing that.” He turns to you and reaches out to grab your arm. He doesn’t even get two steps away before Karkat goes off again.

“Oh, no you don’t, Strider! I am under strict orders to bring you back and I am damn well not going to let you just walk away. And you! I don’t know who you are but you are not going to be this idiot’s scapegoat.” You have no time to react before Karkat’s gripping your other arm and jerking you away from Dave. 

About three things happen at that moment. Dave’s hold on your arm slips, leaving you stumbling backwards. Karkat also releases your arm faster than he had grabbed it in the first place, leaving you to fall on your butt. Finally, Dave whips his whole body around to face you and Karkat, wings flared out fully and violence radiating through his entire form. The people surrounding you are hastily backing away now, no longer willing to stand around and eavesdrop. A few people have to drag away some poor guy who had been standing a bit too close to Dave and had an unfortunate meeting with the back of Dave’s wing. 

You sit there on the ground in a bit of a daze, gazing back and forth between a shocked Karkat and a furious Dave. Dave stalks over to stand menacingly over you and forcing Karkat to take several steps back. “Don’t touch him,” Dave growls.

Karkat stands there with hands raised in surrender and mouth agape. You dare to shift so that you’re up on your knees and not just sprawled out on the ground. Karkat’s eyes flick down to you and his expression slowly morphs back into a frown. He goes back to glaring at Dave, though he doesn’t move any closer or lower his hands. 

“Tell me you didn’t do what I think you did, Strider. Just, tell me that I am wrong and this is not exactly what I think it is.” Karkat’s voice has dropped to a harsh stage whisper, slight horror tinging his words. Dave doesn’t answer, remaining tensed and ready to strike. You slowly rise to your feet.

“Dave?” you question softly, gently placing a hand on Dave’s back between his outstretched wings. He flinches, but then begins to relax. His wings fold back up and his posture settles so that he doesn’t look like he’s going to lunge for Karkat’s throat any second. You move so that you’re standing next to Dave and can keep an eye on the two of them.

Karkat stares at you, then suddenly slams a hand to his face. “I can not believe - no. At this point you could tell me that you just went up to the fucking Condesce and punched her in the face and I’d just accept it at this point.” Karkat straightens up, scowl firmly in place as he glances around. “Come on. This isn’t the place to discuss this.” He turns and starts stomping off, not bothering to look back to see if you’re following him.

You look up at Dave. His expression is one of resignation. “I thought you said you wouldn’t get in trouble for bringing me here.” You just wanted to have some fun, see a new world. You didn’t want your best friend to get in trouble for it. 

Dave sighs and tugs on your arm to start walking after Karkat. “It’s fine, that wasn’t about bringing you here. Well, not the first part at least. I kind of caused a bit of a commotion when I left. And I guess I’ll get a slap on the wrist for bringing you here. But Karkat’s right, we can talk about this where we don’t have a million eavesdroppers listening in.” You aren’t really happy with that answer but decide that having a quiet place to talk would be better than causing even more of a scene.

You catch up to Karkat and follow him as he leads you through the maze of tents. People move out of your way as you travel, probably afraid of getting in Karkat’s war path. At least it makes it easy to keep moving. Dave constantly keeps right at your side as you walk, eyes focused straight ahead and expression completely neutral. 

Finally you make it out from the sea of tents and people. You look around to see where you might be going and notice that you are much closer to the castle now. In fact you are headed straight towards the castle. 

“Dave, why are we going towards the castle?” you ask, breaking the silence. Dave glances down at you, then looks away with a nervous cough.

“I, uh, kind of live there. In the castle.” You stare at Dave, who refuses to look at you. 

“You live in the castle?” Both you and Dave have stopped walking. Why would Dave not tell you something like this? Getting to live in a huge castle would be awesome! And if you got to live in a castle that meant that you were- wait.

“Yeah. Guess I never really introduced myself.” Dave finally looks at you again. He straightens up to his full height, letting his wings unfurl just slightly and creating an impressive picture with the castle towering behind him. “Name’s Dave Strider, also known as the Phoenix of Derse and one of the Princes of the Kingdom of the Moon.” Dave gives a dramatic bow then straightens up and gives you a serious look.“But if you call me anything other than Dave I swear I will smack you”

You just stand there and stare blankly at him. You officially have no idea what is happening to your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, John. I have no idea what's happening to my life either with this story.
> 
> Pictures of Karkat and Terezi are also on my tumblr! (Reminder that my username is also arcanusanima over there as well)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first look at the castle and more character introductions. Also, John is embarrassed. Repeatedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for how long this took. This chapter just did not want to be written and then I got into character weeks on Tumblr. If it's any consolation this chapter is over 7,200 words long.
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who has left a kudos and commented on this story. I still can't believe that this is as popular as it is.

The inside of the castle is even more grand than the outside. The ceilings stretch high above you supported by arches detailed with simple but elegant patterns. Beautiful tapestries are draped on the walls, bright colors bringing the pictures to life. Vases and other works of art line the hallways. Every shade of violet imaginable can be seen in some combination as you travel through the castle. 

Karkat leads you past all these incredible sights. He had come back to yell at you for taking too long and “staring at each other like lovesick idiots.” That had made both Dave and you to look away from each other and hurry after the angry guard. And if your face was a little warm well it was quite a bit hotter here than what you are used to. 

As you walk behind Dave you pass by a few, what you assume to be, servants. They always pause to bow there heads until Dave has passed them. You can feel their eyes linger on your back. Your mind is still reeling from the knowledge that Dave is apparently royalty. How are you even supposed to act around royalty? Oh, no. What if you managed to do something to offend him and he’s going to lock you in the dungeon?! Wait, Dave wouldn’t do that. Even if he is a prince or whatever he’s still just your friend Dave. Right?

“Alright, now I expect you go in your room and fucking stay in there. Got it? No running off and making my life an even worse hell. I deal with enough bullshit without having to chase you around all day just to make sure you’re where you need to be. And for fucks sake put some damn clothes on, you are an embarrassment to the entire kingdom.” Karkat storms off, leaving you in front of a large wooden door which honestly looks no different than the many others you passed on your way here. 

“Man, that guy really needs a vacation. Maybe I should bring that up with D.” Dave watches until Karkat turns and disappears. Even for the little time that you have known Karkat you have to agree. Dave opens the door and waves you into a huge bedroom. “Come on in, feel free to make yourself comfortable on my bed.” Dave shoots you over his shoulder. 

You roll your eyes but follow him into the room. “Wow, Dave. Don’t you think that’s moving a bit fast?.” Just to mess with him you go over and take a seat on the incredibly soft bed.

“Not at all, John. This is a completely normal pace for us faerie folk. In fact we might even be moving too slowly. With all the time we’ve spent together we should be bonded already.” Dave is digging through a dresser, tossing out random articles of clothing. 

You gasp and place a hand against your chest. “Dave, did you just ask to ma- oh, wait. Is being bonded the same as being married?” Darn it, your mouth had just run with with the joke before what Dave had said actually registered in your head. You think it’s probably the same thing, but you never know.

Dave has gathered up the clothing from the floor and looks at you. “I have no idea what ‘married’ is. And I don’t really feel like explaining a bond to you.”

“Goodness, Dave. Discussing a bond already? And you haven’t even introduced him to your family yet.” 

You both startle at the sudden addition of a new voice. Standing in the doorway is a girl around your age. She’s wearing a strapless dress that fades from bright orange at the top to a soft yellow at the bottom of the layered petals that make up the skirt. A violet crescent moon pendant rests just under her neck, connecting the top of her dress to something that hangs down her back. Trailing behind her are a pair of wings that shimmer when the light hits them. Completely different from Dave’s feathered wings, her wings are more of what you would normally think of faeries having. They flare out on top like ridges and then slim down in a gentle curl. Like practically every surface of the castle her wings are in shades of purple, fading from a bright magenta to a dark violet at the tips. Pale blonde hair only a few shades darker than Dave’s frames her face in short layers, partially held back by an orange ribbon. Sharp eyes in the richest shade of violet you have seen yet gaze at you like they can see into your soul.

Dave snaps back to his senses first, wings ruffling in agitation. “Damn it, Rose! Why do you always have to go sneaking around like some creep? And knock it off with the bond stuff, it was a joke.” 

Rose walks further into the room and goes up to Dave, placing a hand delicately on his shoulder. “Dear brother, bonding is no joke. It is a lifelong commitment to the person you cherish above all else.” Dave scowls at Rose(his sister? they do look awfully similar). Rose only smirks in response before continuing. “Oh, don’t worry. I know you weren’t being serious. Now give me a hug, I think I deserve that much after you ran off without anyone knowing where you went for over a week.” Rose spreads her arms out in invitation. 

Dave’s scowl softens and he wraps his arms around Rose, careful of her wings. He has to duck down a bit due to being a good six or so inches taller than Rose but they make it work. You turn your head away, not wanting to intrude on this family moment. You can still hear them though. “I couldn’t See you. Do you know just how scared we were when even I could not find you when you ran off?” A sigh. “Sorry. I just needed a break. I promise I’ll try not to freak out so bad again.” 

There is movement as they separate and you turn your attention back to them. Rose is staring at the bundle of clothing still clutched in his hand. “Now you really should go get changed while I introduced myself to your new friend.” She waves him away which makes him sigh dramatically and slouch off to another door on the other side of the room. 

“Fine, fine. Just don’t go doing any of your weird mind tricks. John’s been through enough today and I’m fairly sure it’s only going to get crazier. I don’t need his mind broken just because you couldn’t help yourself.” Dave disappears through the door, which leads to a bathroom from the quick glance you get. You focus back on Rose when she comes over to stand in front of you.

She offers you her hand. “I apologize for not doing this sooner, but I needed to set a few things straight with my brother. I’m Rose Lalonde, Seer of Derse and member of the royal family of the Kingdom of the Moon. But you may just call me Rose.”

You stare at her in shock before hastily reaching up to shake her hand. “Uh, hi! I’m John, John Egbert. And I don’t have any fancy titles, so you can also just call me John.” You grin and Rose smiles at you, though you notice her eyes glance down to your clasped hands, lingering on the bracelet Dave gave you. Then something occurs to you. “Wait, if you and Dave are brother and sister why is his last name Strider?”

Rose smiles, releasing your hand. “We are not siblings by blood, but our families have always been close. Dave and I, as well as our other siblings, were raised together and have come to see each other as brothers and sisters. The fact that we all look quite similar is most likely due to a common ancestor far back in our lineage, but no one has ever looked into it.”

“That’s really cool! It’s just me and my dad at home. It must be great having people to talk to and hang out with whenever you want!” Having no siblings of your own or any good friends you were often holed up in your room by yourself. It tended to get very lonely with only your movie posters to keep you company.

“It certainly is, though we often get on each other’s nerves. I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.” Rose has a found smile and her eyes grow distant. She quickly focuses back on you, her posture straightening further and a serious look on her face. “Now correct me if I am wrong, but you are not from this world, are you?”

You freeze, staring up at her with panic slowly rising. “I, uh. No, I mean yes! Of course I’m from this world. I live in, uh,” you stutter out, eyes darting anywhere but at Rose. You catch her crossing her arms out of the corner of your eye and slump your shoulders in defeat. “No, I’m not from here. I live on Earth.”

The serious expression doesn’t change, but Rose at least uncrosses her arms and doesn’t seem like she’s going to forcibly pry information out of you. “I see. That would explain why I could not discern Dave’s location when he ran off. Alternate worlds, even those parallel to this one, are beyond my Sight.” There is an emphasis on the word sight, and you remember she claimed to be a seer. You wonder what exactly that entails. “You are a human, correct?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Rose nods her head. “That would explain the lack of magic I sense from you. It is very intriguing, I have never met a being with so little magical energy.” Hadn’t Dave said something about your world not having much magic too?

And speaking of Dave, he finally walks out of the bathroom, halting any further conversation with Rose. You take in the outfit Dave has changed into. Gone are the red pants he was wearing, replaced with a long shirt and snug shorts that reach just past his knees. The shirt is sleeveless and separates into three petal like sections at the bottom, two in the front and one you can just see in the back when Dave shifts around. It reaches past his waist and is a pale lilac in color. There is a ring of white flower petals that go around his neck, reminding you of the plume of feathers he had when he was a sprite. The shorts are actually more like thick tights or maybe more like leggings(that’s what those are called, right?). They are also purple, though much darker than the shirt. His feet remain bare, understandable with the sharp talons sticking out from each toe. Dave is still pulling on an arm sleeve thing like the one already situated on his left arm, though the right one has a violet crescent moon embroidered on it. The sleeves are the same color as his shirt with the same white petals at the top and bottom. They cover his arms from the middle of his upper arm to under his elbows. Overall the outfit suits him, even if you think all the purple kind of clashes a bit with his wings. 

“There, I’m ‘properly dressed’. Is everyone happy now?” Dave asks as he finishes securing the arm sleeve. If you’re being honest you kind of miss him not having a shirt, but you aren’t going to say anything on that. 

“I believe that will be satisfactory for now. But on to more pressing matters, you do know that you will eventually have to go face you brothers? You caused quite the commotion when you disputed the Black Sovereign’s proposal, quite bluntly as well. Not to mention disappearing to another world right after, without anyone knowing where you were and no way to tell if you were safe.Though the first situation has been diffused, I can say with confidence you have thoroughly worked your elder brothers into a panic. The only thing that has kept them from tearing apart the entire area to find you is keeping the kingdom in running order and not panicking the citizens. Also subtle threats from Mother, who is extremely worried as well and will have many words for you when she sees you.” Wow, Dave really did cause a mess when he left. Still, you’re glad he did since you got to meet him. “And of course you worried all of us as well.” 

Dave moves to squeeze Rose’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I really am. Things just, piled up and I had to get away.”

Rose smiles and pats his hand. “I understand. But next time, try not to vanish to another world.” She turns to you, smile turning into a smirk. “Though this time seems to have worked well in your favor.”

You can feel your face start to flush at the insinuation. Dave pushes away from Rose, striding over to you. “Don’t even start, Rose. It’s nothing like that. But if you are going to start making wild accusations John and I are out of here. Let’s go, John. I can show you some of the castle or something.” You let Dave grab your arm and pull you along. 

“It was nice to meet you, Rose!” you shout behind you as Dave drags you away. Rose smiles and waves to you.”It was a pleasure to meet you as well, John. I believe we will see each other again soon enough. After all, change is ever present though often unexpected.” Rose’s eyes almost seem to be glowing by the end of her strange farewell, but before you can look too closely you are already out of the room. Dave whisks you off down the hallway, leaving you to stumble after him. 

“So, Rose is pretty nice,” you say, wanting to break the awkward silence. Dave is still practically dragging you down the hallway and you’re having a hard time keeping up. 

Thankfully Dave slows down from the fast pace he had stormed out of the room, allowing you to catch up to walk at his side. Sadly, he also lets go of your arm. “Yeah, she’s great. When she isn’t trying to psychoanalyze your every thought and action or practicing arcane magic that blows up a whole wing of the castle.” Dave says that last part in such an offhanded way, like that kind of thing happens all the time. Was that actually a thing she had done? Your fear and respect for Rose is even higher now. Also, how awesome must it be to live in a world where this is just commonplace? 

“What are we going to do now?” Your plans have obviously taken a dramatic change from this morning, but you are definitely still up for more sightseeing. And now you have a whole castle to explore!

Dave shrugs. “Unfortunately, Rose is right and I should really go talk to my brothers. But I’m not going to subject you to that disaster until I have to. I guess I can show you around here for now. Actually, here.” You stop in front of one of the large windows that line the hallway. They stretch from the floor to a few feet above even Dave. You kind of wonder just why the windows are so huge and glaring safety hazards, people could very easily fall out of these things if they were open! But then you remember that two of the people you have met that live here have wings.

Dave opens the window, which splits in the middle and strangely opens into the hallway rather than out. You take a step closer while being mindful that you are quite a ways up from the ground and accidentally tripping would not end well. 

“Oh, wow!” Below you is an expansive garden held within the castle walls. All sorts of trees and plants are broken only by intricate pathways that wind through them. Small benches and other places to sit are in secluded areas around the garden, and in the center is a large pond that gleams in the sunlight. Just like the plants that you saw when you first arrived these plants are colored uniquely. There are trees that have vibrant blue leaves, and plants with red stems. It is a really amazing sight.

“Pretty impressive, right?” You nod, not wanting to look away quite yet. There is just so much to take in. “Want to get a closer look?” That makes you look up at Dave. 

“Yeah! I mean, it looks amazing from up here so it must be even better up close!” You can’t help but grin at the prospect. Dave smirks and reaches out an arm to beckon you closer. You hesitate, already having an idea of where this is going.

Dave wiggles his fingers at you. “Come on, John. Unless you want to go risk falling down all those stairs this is the quickest way.”

You scowl at the taunt but move closer to him and the open window. “Fine, but if you drop me I swear I will come back as a ghost and haunt your ass, Dave.”

“We’ve already got one insufferable spirit hanging around here so we don’t need another. I won’t drop you, have a little faith in a guy.” 

“Wait, there’s a ghost around here?” That would be so cool! 

A tug on your arm brings you next to Dave. “Something like that. Now, I need you to put your arms around my neck and hold on tight.” He leans down so you can do just that. Then you yelp in surprise when he suddenly sweeps you up into his arms. You reflexively tighten your grip around his neck when he steps up to the window ledge. Of course you make the mistake of glancing down and seeing the sheer drop to the ground far below you. Heights normally don’t bother you, but you also don’t normally go out and jump from windows relying on a guy with wings to make sure you don’t go splat.

Feathers brush against your arms as Dave spreads his wings. “Ready?” he asks and you nod, not trusting your voice at the moment. “Then here we go!” 

Dave launches both of you out into the air. For a split second you drop, and your heart lodges itself in your throat. Then Dave’s wings beat down and you soar up into the sky. Dave clutches you close to his chest, and despite being suspended several stories up in the air you feel quite secure. In fact, gliding through the air like this is one of the most amazing feelings you have ever experienced. 

Nerves settling down, you take another look down at the ground far below you. You can see more of the garden now. The pathways all come together to create a crescent moon that spans the entire yard with branching swirls that go back to the walls of the castle. The plants fill in the design with their colors, creating something like a painting rather than a live garden. 

“Dave, this is so awesome!” you shout up at him to be heard above the wind and Dave’s wings. 

Dave smiles down at you. “I thought you would. Flying is the only way to travel. Much better than taking a bunch of stairs. But as much fun as this is we’re going to have to land now. Don’t want to push how much longer I can keep this up with your extra weight.”

“Dave, are you calling me fat?” you say with fake hurt in your voice. 

“Nah, but my wings are meant to carry me and me alone. They’re not big or strong enough for me to keep a passenger up in the air for long.” Dave angles you down towards the center of the garden. When you get close to the ground Dave rightens you both with several quick downstrokes, stumbling only slightly when he lands. He sets you down and then proceeds to stretch out his wings and roll his shoulders with a slight grimace. He mutters something to himself before folding up his wings again. You hope he didn’t hurt himself by doing that. You weren’t flying for that long, maybe a few minutes at most, but it was still possible Dave had strained something. He seems alright though so you wander over to take a closer look at some flowers with purple stems and green petals.

“So, what do you think? The gardens have the largest collection of exotic plants from around the world, mainly because Rose keeps bringing in more for her spell work. On that note, don’t touch anything unless I say it’s safe. Some of these things are highly poisonous.” 

Dave tugs you away from the flower you had been reaching out to touch. You go willingly, snatching your hand back to your chest. “Why do you just have poisonous flowers out in the open?” That seems like a worse idea than the huge windows. 

Dave shrugs. “For the most part everyone knows which plants are dangerous. And for the rest most people have enough common sense to not just go and touch something if they don’t know what it is.” You grin sheepishly at the pointed look he gives you. “But the toxic plants are a more recent addition here. When we were kids there was nothing even remotely dangerous in here so that it was safe for us to play. This was the best we had if we wanted to be outside since we didn’t get to go outside of the castle too often.” There’s a short pause and then you just barely hear Dave mutter, “Especially after that one incident.”

You are kind of curious about that story, but before you can ask Dave continues. “Anyways, we mainly come down here for some peace and quiet now and know not to mess with any of the plants. Rose is the only one that really comes down here frequently to restock her supplies. Though I guess Dirk likes playing in the dirt or something whenever he gets frustrated.” 

“Talking shit behind your own brother’s back, I see how it is. And at least I have a healthy coping mechanism with gardening rather than running off in a fit.”

What is with people sneaking up on you today? Both you and Dave spin around to see who had surprised you this time. The first thing that sticks out is this new guy has large feathered wings like Dave’s. His are in shades of grey and white with flecks of orange, reminding you of a seagull’s wings. He has blonde hair like both Dave and Rose styled back in large spikes, and bright orange eyes stare at you from an angled face that is very similar to Dave’s. Dirk must actually be related to Dave, they look way too alike to not be. His outfit is also very floral, which seems to be a trend. You wonder if that is a royalty thing or something else. The long shirt is a bright magenta and splits into three petals at the bottom, though unlike Dave’s shirt the third petal is in the front instead of the back. A silvery white flower sits on each shoulder, and a violet crescent moon rests at the center of the collar. A brown belt wraps around his waist and that same strange material in orange makes a pair of ‘shorts’ that stop above his knees. Dirk also has taloned hands and feet with rough patterns of skin that travels a ways up his arms and legs, leaving his feet bare.

Dave crosses his arms and scowls. “Call it what you want, but either way you always come back covered in dirt and then hole yourself up in your bathroom for hours to practically scrub your skin raw. And I didn’t run off in a fit, I just took a bit of a break. Needed to stretch my wings, see some new sights, you know?”

“Well, I guess you can just ‘call it what you want.’” Dirk walks closer and holds out a fist to Dave. “It’s good to have you back, bro.” Dave doesn’t move for a moment but then bumps his fist to Dirk’s with a smile. “Yeah, glad to be back. Ended up where I was ass deep in snow and the air was determined to turn me into an icicle. I’m lucky I didn’t freeze my feathers off.” 

Dirk slings an arm around Dave’s shoulders and drags him over into an awkward hug. “Sounds like torture. Though you did manage to drag back something interesting. Are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?” Dirk turns to you with a grin. You can feel your cheeks flare in embarrassment. Why does everyone think you and Dave are together?

Dave struggles to escape from Dirk’s hold without much luck. “His name is John, and he’s not my boyfriend. Rose already beat you to that accusation so joke’s on you.” 

“Darn, Rose always gets the first jab.” Dirk sighs and leans against Dave who has resigned himself to his fate. “Oh well. So, John. Since you’re not with this dork what do you say about going out with me?” Dirk’s grin has an almost predatory hint to it and Dave splutters beneath him.

You aren’t reacting much better. “Ha ha, what? I mean I guess I’m flattered but we literally just met?” Your hands are flailing in front of you as you take a hasty step backwards.

Dave elbows his brother in the stomach hard. “Dude, what the fuck?” Dirk flinches away from the attack and Dave’s renewed struggling. As he does so something odd catches your eye.

“What? If you’re not going to go after that and waste a prime opportunity you can’t blame me for trying.” Dirk is struggling to hold back Dave now, the two threatening to break out into an all out fight. 

Your mind is still a mess from this situation, so you don’t even stop to think before blurting out what’s on your mind. “Why do you suddenly have a tail?”

Dave and Dirk both freeze in place, Dirk turning his head to look at you while Dave continues to stare at Dirk. Dave is the first to react. “Damn it. Hal! What have we told you about impersonating Dirk?” Dave shoves him away, wings arched behind him in anger. 

Dirk, or apparently Hal, stumbles back, head turned away. When he looks back up his features have changed. His eyes have narrowed ever so slightly, the pupils turned into slits. His grin now reveals sharp canines that poke out over his bottom lip. Even his face has shifted just enough to be noticeable, becoming sharper and more angled. The biggest differences are the fuzzy ears perched on top of his head and the three tails trailing behind him. He looks like a fox, you think, if foxes were humanoid.

“Ugh, I knew something was up.” Dave mumbles as he stalks back over to your side. Hal gives himself a shake, feathers ruffling before settling back into place. His tails curl and sway as if caught in a nonexistent breeze. “Does Dirk know that you’re waltzing around as him again?”

Hal smirks, making him look even more fox-like. “Dirk isn’t even in Derse right now. He’s off with Roxy to go retrieve some special herb or something like that. I wasn’t paying attention. Honestly it’s just an excuse to separate us before we go at each other again. And then I hear you finally turned up, toting around some new guy like he was a lost puppy? Of course I’m going to have a bit of fun.”

“You’re ‘fun’ never ends well.”

“It’s not like anyone gets hurt. Well, seriously hurt. And do you really expect any different from me?” Hal focuses back on you, offering a hand which you are understandably leery to take. You do so anyways, confident Dave will intervene if Hal tries anything. “I’m Hal, resident Kitsune and honorary Strider. You’ll unfortunately have to wait to meet the ‘real’ Dirk.” 

You quickly shake hands and take a small step closer to Dave when you’re done. “Uh, nice to meet you! Are you really a ‘spirit fox’?” You had come across the term a couple times when researching different types of ghosts but had never really looked into them. 

“I certainly am! Of course I’ve gotten myself into a unique situation here but I’m making the best of it. But now that my fun has been had I’ll be taking my leave. Got things to do, people to see. It was nice to meet you John, and if you ever get tired of hanging around Dave just come find me.” Hal turns and starts walking away, his body dissolving in a cloud of mist. When the mist clears there is a three tailed fox that easily stands as tall as your waist. Jet black fur is accented with blood-red tipped paws and tails, as well as jagged markings trailing up his legs and tails. 

Hal pauses on his way, looking back at Dave with solid red eyes. “Speaking of people to see, I should mention that Bro was on the prowl when I saw him before coming here. So better keep an eye out for him. And hey, it really is good to have you back, bro.” With that Hal bounds off down one of the paths, quickly disappearing from sight. 

Dave swears quietly in the silence that lingers after Hal’s exit. You aren’t sure whether it’s in response to Hal flirting, seriously? jokingly? you have no idea how to read that guy, with you or if it was from the mention of this Bro person. Either way you don’t want him to dwell on it.

“So what’s the deal with Hal? Is he your brother like Rose is your sister? And why was he impersonating someone else?” You ramble off your questions in quick succession, drawing Dave out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah, Hal is our brother. But unlike Rose and Roxy, our other sister, he hasn’t been around all of our lives. You could say he’s adopted. He’s such a little shit, but then again so is the rest of my family so I guess that doesn’t really say much. As for why he was impersonating Dirk, it was mainly to be an ass. He can only take on Dirk’s form if he wants to be human.”

From what little you know about Kitsune and their powers that doesn’t sound right. “I thought Kitsune could take on any form they wanted to?”

Dave shrugs. “Normally, yeah. But Hal is sort of a special case after an incident when we were all kids. That’s not really my story to tell though. Basically all you need to know about him is that fox form is what he normally looks like, if he’s human he normally looks like Dirk with the ears and tails though he can hide those, oh and he can turn invisible for brief amounts of time. Which is a huge pain when he’s in a particularly mischievous mood.” 

A fellow prankster! That makes sense, foxes are always associated with playing tricks. If you had more time you would love to share stories and maybe get some new ideas.

“Now I really hate to say this but we need to go see my eldest bro now. If Bro is out looking for us that means both of them know I’m back and that I brought you with me. And I really don’t feel like being ambushed by Bro right now.”

Dave shuffles off down one of the paths opposite of where Hal had gone, posture slumped and wings drooping. You hurry to catch up to him. The two of you travel in silence as you pass through the gardens. You take in as much as you can as you walk by, since your time to sightsee has been cut short. Every single flower has been expertly taken care of, blooming in vibrant colors of all kinds. Each bush and tree is trimmed neatly into intricate shapes. The sun filters through the leaves above you, covering the ground in shifting patterns of light and shadow. Multicolored birds and strange creatures you can’t even begin to describe sing from their perches in the branches. Butterflies that have wings like crystals flutter by, and you are fairly certain that you saw a tiny dragon with insect wings dart by. 

Too soon you transition from the exotic colors of the gardens back to the violet hues of the castle. You walk through a set of huge wooden doors that are held open to allow light and fresh air into the castle’s interior. The lack of conversation finally starts to get to you now that you don’t have unique plants and animals to stare at. You decide to bring up a question that has been bothering you for a while now.

“Hey, Dave?” You get a low grunt that you decide to interpret as a signal to continue. “How come you and Rose and Hal all have really flowery clothing? I mean, is it a royalty thing? But then some people in the market had kind of similar clothing too...” you trail off, trying to remember the different styles of clothing you had seen. Everything was so different than what you were used to, from the styles to even the material that made up the clothes. But out of all the people there was only a portion that had the same kind of floral design. 

Dave comes to an abrupt stop, making you stumble to a halt a few steps ahead of him. He looks at you for a long moment and leaving you to wonder if you had asked something offensive. Whatever was bothering him clears up quickly enough and he shakes his head as he continues walking. “Right, you wouldn’t know about that kind of stuff. Long story short, all faeries are associated with a specific flower. When we’re born our magic creates the flower we are tied to. The type of flower and its color can symbolize a person’s personality or a talent they have. Anyways, all faeries have a strong connection to their flowers, and it’s tradition to have clothes styled after them. Normally they also match the color of their flower, but since we’re part of the royal family someone decided that we should wear the colors of Derse. The only one who gets away with not wearing some shade of violet is Rose, and that’s only because she uses her wings as an excuse to not wear more of the color. Of course no one listens to me when I complain that purple really doesn’t go with my wings.” His wings twitch when he finishes. 

You let that sink in. “So only faeries dress like that?” Then what were the other people you had seen?

“Yep. Faerie tradition only. Everyone else wears whatever they want, mainly things that are practical for them.”

You’re about to ask what makes a faerie different from everyone else, since Rose is the only person who looks like what you thought faeries looked like, when you turn yet another corner and something distracts you.

Sweeping down the hallway towards you and Dave is a man in the most outrageous dress you have ever seen. And when you say dress, you mean an actual dress. This guy is wearing a full-length gown in, what else, violet. It has only one shoulder, which flows down into a full sleeve that flares out at the end. His left shoulder is bare while the arm is covered in a full arm sleeve. The bottom of the dress is cut diagonally in the front to show some of his legs and flares out fully in the back. There are magenta swirls and other accents, and to top it all off there is some sort of petal-like collar piece that is visible over his right shoulder. The strangest thing is that for how absolutely ridiculous the outfit is, this guy actually manages to pull it off rather well. As he comes closer you see that he has a strong resemblance to Dave and Hal’s human form(and therefore Dirk you suppose), to the point that he could easily be an older version of Dirk. He’s easily over six feet tall with a bulky build, and is eerily silent as he strides towards you even with the lack of shoes. Like Dave his feet have sharp talons and rough patches of skin that run up his leg, the same holding true for this hands as well. Light blonde hair is spiked back precisely from a completely emotionless face, dark orange eyes focused intensely on you two. 

Beside you Dave swears under his breath. He had stopped as soon as you had turned the corner, and you had barely avoided running into him. Neither of you move as the man comes to a stop in front of you, looming above you with arms crossed. Nobody moves for a few moments, Dave and the newcomer staring each other down and you glancing between the two. Finally Dave breaks the silence.

“Hey, Bro.” 

“‘Sup, lil’ man. Nice to see you again after you vanished on your little getaway. That you didn’t bother to tell anyone about.” Bro’s voice is deep with a gravely touch to it, and just as emotionless as his expression. 

Dave folds in on himself just enough for you to notice him do so. “Yeah, I. I’m sorry. I have no excuse. Just freaked out and did the only thing that made sense at the time. Sorry.”

Bro says nothing. You swear the tension between them is nearly visible with how thick it is. Just when the lapse in conversation is reaching the point of becoming awkward Bro lets out a sigh, posture shifting into a much more relaxed stance. 

“You know how worried you made us? Ya had D wearin’ holes in the ground from all the pacing he’s been doin’.” Bro reaches over to mercilessly tousle Dave’s hair before pulling him into a tight hug. “Next time you want to run off at least leave us a note or something.”

Dave, who had squawked in protest and fought against his hair being messed up, settles into the hug with no complaints. “I will. Learned my lesson with running off without any preparation.”

The two separate and you’re glad that the previous tension has dissipated completely. Your relief dies down as Bro turns his attention to you. “And you must be the human Captain Shouty was ranting about. Gotta say if Dave had to drag someone back from another world he could have done much worse.” A smirk appears on Bro’s face along with a raised eyebrow in an expression of pure insinuation to something much more than what you and Dave were.

You choke on the laughter you had been trying to smother at, you’re assuming, Karkat’s nickname. Dave just shouts Bro’s name and flails while nearly shouting that it was “not like that” and for everyone to “stop assuming that was why I brought John back!”

“Yeah, yeah I know. Calm down. So, John, right?” You nod. “Good to meet ya. Call me Bro. I don’t care much for all those fancy titles people throw at us so that’s all ya need to know.” You wonder if Bro is his actual name or a nickname of his own but don’t dare to ask. Also, why does he sound like he has a slight southern accent? It’s only noticeable with some of the words he shortens and even then it comes and goes. Weird. “Now as much fun as havin’ this little reunion in a hallway is, both of you have some explainin’ to do. And you,” Bro looks pointedly at Dave, “have a brother to go reassure that you’re not dying in some gruesome and horrifying’ way where he can’t help ya.” Bro turns and waves at you to follow him. 

You and Dave trail behind at your own pace. Walking behind Bro gives you a better look at his wings. You can tell they are bigger than Dave’s even while folded up against his back. The feathers fade from black to a light grey, making them the darkest and most monotonous wings you have seen yet. Even with their lack of brighter colors they hold a sort of magnificence as well as a subtle power. 

You nudge Dave to get his attention. “Why exactly is your brother wearing a dress?”  
You keep your voice low, not wanting to be overheard by Bro. 

Dave shrugs. “When the whole color thing was put in place for the royal family he threw a fit and then declared that if he could only wear violet then he was going to be able to wear whatever he wanted to. A week later he just showed up in a dress he had designed himself. It was pretty bad, but it also pissed off the old council members that had brought up the rule in the first place so he kept wearing it. D finally gave up trying to get him to wear an official outfit and compromised that Bro could wear a dress once a week as long as he wore his traditional outfit the rest of the week and didn’t irritate the council more than usual. Luckily he started getting tips on how to make better dresses so he’s not walking around in patched together clothes. It just figures that the day you come here is when he’s running around in it. So, sorry about that.”

You wave off his apology. “No, it’s fine. I mean yeah it’s kind of really weird, but it is a really nice dress. And he looks strangely good in it? Like in a ‘that dress really fits him well’ way, not a ‘I’m checking out your brother’ way. Seriously I am not checking out your brother.” You can feel your cheeks heating up as you try to explain yourself.

“Appreciate the compliment kid, but I’m way too old for you.” Oh god, how had Bro heard any of that? “But if you like my handiwork so much I’m sure I could whip something up for you to wear. Dave would probably appreciate it.”

You resolutely stare at your feet as your face no doubt begins to rival tomatoes in color. Why was everyone set on embarrassing you today? 

“Knock it off, Bro! You’re not part of this conversation.” You don’t look up to see Bro’s response, which you are grateful for since Dave makes this half annoyed half scandalized noise in the back of his throat. You really do not want to know. The conversation fades out after that disaster, which is probably for the best as you come up to yet another pair of grand wood doors. Bro doesn’t pause as he quietly opens one of the doors and slips through. You and Dave do pause at the doors, Dave giving you a questioning look. You take a deep breath and nod your head, determined to face whatever is waiting for you. Dave gives you his own tiny nod and disappears through the door. You take another deep breath to steady yourself and then follow after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to point out again that I post character designs on my tumblr. I hope I did justice describing them here, but if you want an actual picture of the characters and their outfits head on over to arcanusanima.tumblr.com under the tag Frozen Lilacs.
> 
> I can't say when exactly the next chapter will be out. School will be starting up again in under two weeks and I have to move into my apartment before that. Rest assured I will do my best to get chapter 4 out in as timely a matter as possible. As a bonus I have the backstory on how Hal ended up in his predicament and joined the Striders nearly finished, so that will most likely be published some time next week.
> 
> Again thanks for all the kind words and support for this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took nearly a month again. Sorry about that. College has started back up so that will now take up a majority of my time. But the good news is if you noticed the chapter count this is the second to last chapter! I'll talk more about that after the chapter so please enjoy!

The room you walk into is incredibly intimidating. The first thing that sticks out is the sheer size of it. It’s not all that wide or long, but instead reaches at least a few stories upwards. Large columns stretch up to the ceiling, illuminated by the enormous windows that line the back wall. Running down the center of the room is a long dark violet rug trimmed with silver that starts from the doorway and ends in front of a small set of stairs. At the top of the steps is a, well you guess it’s a throne. Strangely though this throne has a very low back, but makes up for that by having a pair of columns framing the back. The seat part and the arms are both covered by decorative pillows, providing comfort from the otherwise hard surfaces. The entire thing has intricate designs carved into the stone, giving it a very majestic look. 

Sitting regally on the throne is a man that looks like an older Dave. He has the same pale hair, though it was cut longer, and piercing red eyes. His hands and feet have dark, rough patches of skin and sharp talons you are now used to seeing on Dave’s family. Instead of brightly colored wings like Dave this guy has great obsidian wings tipped in blood red. They rest over the back of the throne, obviously the reason why the throne was made like that. The man was wearing, surprise, a purple outfit. It consisted of a long shirt that faded from light to dark violet. The bottom dips down to the side and cut to resemble something like a leaf. Brilliant red petals create a collar around his neck and trail down into a line of small red flowers. Two more strings of flowers are draped beneath it, wrapping from one side to the other. Dark violet shorts complete the outfit. 

A sharp caw snaps your attention up to an opening in the wall above the throne. Silhouetted in the light are a group of what you think are ravens. Except, you don’t think ravens are supposed to get to that size. These are absolutely enormous, easily three or four times the size of a normal raven. Another flies in and perches on one of the columns behind the throne, settling down to start preening a wing that spans the back of the throne. Surrounded by these massive birds with the light at his back makes for a seriously dramatic impression.  

There is another person already in the room, standing at the bottom of the stairs and giong on about... faerie bulls? “And, uh, that is why it would be a great honor if your, um, majesty would grant our clan the extra land,” the guy finally stutters out.

Dave’s brother, you assume, nods slightly. “Your request has been heard and will be considered.” The other guy bows and mutters out a strangled thanks before scrambling out of the room, visibly flinching when a raven lets out a cry. As soon as the door at the far end shuts Dave’s brother slumps down, cradling his head in his hand. 

“Please tell me that was the last one. Please. I just suffered through over an hour of stuttering for a request that shouldn’t have taken longer than five minutes. If I have to go through anymore of this crap I am going to start pulling my own feathers out.”

Bro strides up the stairs to the throne to pat the guy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, D. We’re here to rescue ya’ from the boring royalty work. And I even brought a surprise with me.” 

D barely moves to look up at Bro. “Do I even want to know? I swear if it’s one of those creepy ass puppet things I will kick you out of the castle.”

“Nah, it’s not even another of my dress designs. Got something even better. I found our little lost chick wandering back from leaving the nest.” Bro nods over to the side where you and Dave are still standing, though Dave has shuffled closer to the center. 

“What have I told you about the bird puns?” Nevertheless D turns to where Bro had nodded to. His whole demeanor shifts when he sees Dave. He practically throws himself down the stairs to land in front of his brother and pull him into a hug. “Dave, holy shit. Are you okay? Where have you been? Do you have any injuries?” D has pushed Dave back to arms length and is checking every inch of Dave he can see. 

Dave is halfheartedly trying to push him away, looking a strange combination of annoyed and resigned. “D, come on. I’m fine.”

Finding no obvious wounds and with Dave’s own assurance D’s expression shifts from concerned to angry. “Then what were you thinking? Running off without telling anyone where you were going and then disappearing for a week. How was that a good idea?”

Dave bows his head in shame. “Sorry, D.”

D sighs. “We’ll discuss this later. For now,” D shifts his focus to you, “I think we need to talk about why you brought a human into this world.”

Both you and Dave stiffen at D’s tone. You are kind of glad that you haven’t moved any since you came in, still mostly in the shadows and with a convenient column partially blocking you from his sight. That small relief quickly evaporates when Bro suddenly appears behind you and pushes you forward. You end up right in front of D and beside Dave. D stands even taller than Bro, leaving you feeling very small under the adults’ gazes. 

“Now, explain what exactly happened.”

Dave squares himself himself up. “I ran off and broke through the veil. There’s a weak spot not too far into the forest. And yeah I know that was a really stupid idea, especially when I landed my ass in some freezing hellhole.” You frown at Dave’s, not entirely wrong, description of your home. “I was already in bad shape from going through the veil and with the cold I had to shift to a sprite form.” You don’t miss how both D and Bro tense when Dave says that. Had Dave been even worse off than you had thought back then? 

“I tried to conserve what energy I had left but I was fading. If it wasn’t for John finding and taking care of me I don’t think I would be standing here right now. And that’s why I brought him here. This is the least I can do to start repaying that debt.” 

D turns and stares at Bro after Dave finishes. The two seem to hold a silent conversation as you and Dave stand there and wait for their reaction. You are kind of wondering why Dave seems to think that you saving him has incurred some kind of debt he needs to repay. You just did what anyone, well okay not everyone would do what you did. In fact there are so many ways that whole situation could have gone so much worse and you are going to stop thinking of that right now. You did what any good person should do. Dave shouldn’t feel like he needs to repay you for that. 

When the adults turn back to you something has shifted. “Well, that changes some things. John, for saving the life of one of the princes of Derse, and more importantly our brother, you have the gratitude of the entire kingdom.” D punctuates this statement by extending his wings out slightly and bowing his head. You have no idea what to say to this, as you are pretty sure that the equivalent of a king basically just bowed to you. 

Thankfully D continues on before you can stutter out something that you are sure would make a fool of yourself. “Now, we still have some things to sort out, but there’s no reason to stand around here while we do so.” He turns and gestures for you to follow him. You look at Dave, but he just shrugs and walks after his brother. 

You hurry after them, going through another door on the other side of the room which leads to a small sitting room. D all but collapses into one of the chairs, leaning heavily against one of the arm rests. You take a seat as well, having to keep reminding yourself that the chair doesn’t have a back to lean against. Once you are all settled D continues talking. 

“You’ve probably caught on by now that while you had no idea that this world existed, the opposite is not true. The reason for this is because our two worlds use to be much more closely related. I’m sure your world has some sort of concept of the fae and other creatures, right?” You nod. Faeries, dragons, mermaids, you could think of a number of similar beings. “Most likely all mentions of them are based on truth. Many generations ago the veil was thinner, allowing free access between Skaia and Earth. We would travel to Earth for pleasure, interacting with humans as we wanted. However, many of our kind’s antics were not well received and humans grew weary. Mistrust soon escalated to conflict, and eventually there was the threat of war between our worlds. Our ancestors refused to allow such senseless violence to destroy two worlds so they strengthened the veil and travel to Earth was banned. Of course these days most people barely remember that Earth even exists, or they’re too young to know that another world sits parallel to ours.”

Silence fills the room after D finishes. You are glad for the break, as that was a lot of information to take in. Not to mention the consequences of the numerous rules both you and Dave have no doubt broken. Before you can linger too long on your thoughts D straightens in his seat and looks between you and Dave with a hard expression. 

“As you both can guess, the two of you have managed to break half a dozen laws at least. Breaking one of them alone would be cause for serious punishment.” You freeze up in your seat, not liking where this conversation is going. “Normally this situation would not look good for either of you. But,” D shifts his focus solely to Dave, “I realize that you breaking through the veil was not for malicious intent, nor was it premeditated. And though it was deliberate, you had minimum contact with humans and returned without causing an incident. John,” somehow you manage to tense even further when red eyes lock onto your own, “not only did you keep Dave’s existence hidden, you also saved his life. We take that kind of action very seriously. Dave may be the one who is directly in debt to you, but we owe you as well. For those reasons you will be let off with a warning to not do something so reckless again.” 

All the tension in your body seeps away at once, nearly making you fall out of your chair. You had honestly been a little worried, okay seriously worried, that you were going to be in huge trouble. 

D stands up and stretches, having lost all traces of the serious aura. “Right, now that all of that is settled I am going to go find some food. I swear those hearings get longer every day and breakfast was way too fucking long ago. Dave, I trust you will return John safely to his world after you are done here.” Dave nods when D glances at him. “John, it was good to meet you. Hopefully next time will be on better terms. Oh, speaking of that I am hereby giving you permission to return to Skaia so long as you are accompanied by Dave. Now if you all will excuse me the kitchen is calling my name.” Without even a glance back D strides out through the door.

You sit there for a few minutes just staring blankly at the door. Why was Dave’s entire family so strange? Who you are still pretty sure is the equivalent of a king just walked off like he hadn’t just finished telling you a brief history of two worlds and dismissing punishment for breaking several laws all to go find some lunch. You are beginning to think that this whole world is just crazy. 

“Well, that went better than expected.” Dave says as he stands up. You stare at him in disbelief. How was he so calm about this? It was like none of that had even happened. That’s it, you are officially declaring that everyone is just crazy here. 

“I guess. I was kind of afraid he was going to throw us in the dungeons or something for a while there.” You stand up as well, trying to shake out the remaining tension from your limbs. “Also, I just went through that whole conversation with who I am assuming was both your brother and possibly the king without once saying something or even introducing myself.”

Dave tilts his head in thought. “Huh, yeah you’re right. D kind of gets like that sometimes. Oh, you can call him D by the way. He’s like Bro with the whole shortened name thing as well as hating all the titles people give him. But yeah he’s our oldest brother and spends most of his time making sure Derse runs smoothly and all that. It can sometimes drive him up a wall though so his conversation skills normally take a hit after he gets done with royal business. Have to say he did have a good idea with the food thing though. Could really go for some grub right about now.”

You follow him out of the now empty room. You pause, glancing back in confusion. Now that you think about it, had Bro even come in with you before your history lesson with D? Or had he left before that started? Mentally shrugging you stop trying to think about it and chalk it up to the guy just being too stealthy to keep track of.

Catching up with Dave you think about the prospect of food. “That does sound good. That fruit stuff from earlier was great and all but we didn’t exactly have breakfast this morning.” You walk across the throne room to exit out the door you came in through. A thought occurs to you then, and you freezing in horror. “Oh, shit. Dave how long have we been here? You said time at home moved faster than it did here. We haven’t been gone for more that a few hours there, right?” You are starting to panic at the possibility of staying here too long.

Dave stops mid step. “Shit. Okay, it hasn’t been that long here so as long as we get you back now we should be fine.” He grabs your hand and starts speeding down the hallway. You make quick progress through the castle and in no time you’re nearly running out of the main entrance. Before you can get any further a large shadow passes overhead and Bro lands in front of you with a gust of wind.

“Heads up.” Bro tosses something at Dave who snatches it out of the air. “You’re going to need that if you don’t want to repeat what happened last time. Try to be back before dinner so D doesn’t freak out some more.” Delivery made Bro leaps back into the air, massive wings blocking out the sun for a moment as he flies back over you to the castle. 

Dave mutters something that sounds suspiciously like ‘show off’ but wastes no more time leading you back into the marketplace. Dodging around people is even harder now, more potential customers wandering between the stalls than when you had been there. Luckily people are even quicker to move out of your way, probably due to Dave wearing his formal clothing now. No one wants to get in the way of the prince when he is obviously in a hurry. 

The forest comes into sight as you leave the chaos of the market behind, the trees muffling the noise so that the sounds of civilization soon vanish. After several minutes of traveling deeper into the forest you begin to wonder if Dave knows where he is going. To your relief you come to a small clearing where you spot the pile of clothes you had discarded. Dave stops in front of the clothes, letting go of your hand to pick up what he had been wearing this morning. 

You do the same with your own clothes. Don’t want to freeze the second you go back to your world. “Hey, what was that thing Bro gave you when we were leaving?” you ask Dave as you pull on your jacket. 

Dave finishes adjusting the multiple layers of clothing he’s now wearing before turning to you and showing what he’s been keeping in his hand. Resting in his palm is a clear smooth rock. “This a veil stone. When the veil was sealed there were several of these stones created that would allow people to travel through without having to use massive amounts of power. They’re meant to be an emergency means of transportation in case anything ever happened here. Using this I won’t have to break through like I did the first time and risk reverting back to my sprite form. Which is good, since breaking through the veil is actually pretty dangerous.”

You walk over to where Dave is now slowly walking across the clearing while holding the stone out in front of him. He stops when the stone starts to glow, revealing an odd shimmering shape floating in the air. You guess that’s the weak spot in the veil. 

“Ready?” Dave offers a hand out to you, mimicking the pose that brought you here. With a smirk you grab his hand.

“You know it!” You let Dave tug you forwards, bracing yourself for the sensation of traveling through the veil. An arm wraps around your shoulders and you lean into Dave as flashing lights and that strange pressure surround you. It’s not nearly as bad as the first time, but it’s still enough to be disorienting. 

You know the second you are back home, flinching when a gust of cold wind sweeps past. You open your eyes to the familiar sight of snow and ice everywhere. Ah, home sweet home you think sarcastically. Even though it had only been a few hours you had come to enjoy the warmth of Skaia. Dave hunches in on himself, pulling you closer to him.

“Holy shit is it colder than when we left? I think it’s even colder. How do you people live in this without freezing to death?” Dave rambles on as he shivers and clutches his sweater tighter around himself.

You laugh and step away from him. “It’s really not that bad, Dave! This has actually been a really mild winter, I’d hate to see what you would do when the temperature drops below zero.” 

Dave looks at you in horror. “You mean it gets even colder? Oh, hell no. That is some serious bullshit right there.”

“Sorry to tell you that but it’s true!” Your smile slowly falls. “Well, I guess this is where we have to say goodbye.” You are safely back in your own world and it’s not like Dave can follow you home now that he can’t hide in your coat. You didn’t want him to leave just yet.

“What are you talking about? I promised I would get you back home safely and last time I checked you lived in a house not out here in the forest.” Dave straightens back up to his full height though small tremors still pass over his body. “I didn’t think you wanted to get rid of me so soon.”

You frown, looking pointedly at the wings peeking out over his back. “No offense but if my dad is home I don’t know how he would react to you. Plus you aren’t supposed to be seen by other humans.”

“Oh, right. Hang on a minute.” The air around Dave shimmers and warps and then it’s like his wings and other fae features melt away. You stare in shock at the completely human looking Dave standing in front of you. The only thing that even hints that he wasn’t human are his eyes, still a vivid red. Though with his pale skin and hair that could easily be passed off as albinism. “There, how’s this?”

“Dave,” you make a vague gesture at him, “what the hell?”

Dave smirks as you flail. “It’s a glamour, John. It’s a small bit of magic that lets us conceal our forms so we can blend in. Have to say I don’t get to use this much, and the only reason I know how to do it is because Rose came across it in some book. But it’s just an illusion, my wings and everything are still there. People just can’t see them.”

You feel something that you think are feathers brush along your arm and barely manage not to freak out. Dave smirks as he walks past you, following the footprints you had left earlier. You glance up at the sky when you catch up to him. It’s still overcast, with just enough light for you to know that it’s still daytime. If you had to guess it looks like it has only been a few hours since you left.

You make your way out of the forest, Dave walking as close to you as possible for warmth. Your house comes into view and you hurry over to stand by the back door so that you have some protection from the wind. Dave rushes to join you, rubbing at his arms to try and generate some heat. Invisible feathers brush against your arm again, and you imagine that he must be wrapping his wings around himself to create a cocoon to trap any heat he can. 

“Well, thanks for walking me home. You have fulfilled your promise and made me feel like I’m in some weird romcon all at the same time.” You grin up at him.

Dave smirks from his hunched position. “Striders always keep their promises. Not sure about what a romcon is though.”

“Don’t worry about it. Action movies are so much better anyways.” You pause, not wanting to ask your next question but you know you have to. “So, you can still come visit sometime, right?”

“Of course. No way am I ditching my new best friend. Besides, this will be a great excuse to get out of royal duties back home.”

You grin and rush in for a hug. “Just don’t get in trouble. I think we’ve caused enough of that for some time now. A bit of a break would-”

You don’t get to finish that thought as the door suddenly opens and your dad stares down at you from the doorway.

“John Winifred Egbert. Just where have you been?”

“Dad!” You jump away from Dave. “I, uh, what do you mean?”

Dad crosses his arms, stern fatherly disapproval radiating off from him. “What I mean, young man, is I came home last night to an empty house. And while I have no problem with you venturing out on your own, I would greatly appreciate a note letting me know where you went. Especially when you don’t come home for the night and inconveniently leave your phone in your room.”

You wince as you realize you had been gone much longer than you thought. “Sorry, Dad. I, er,” you try to think of a good excuse for your absence but your brain seems to have abandoned you.

Luckily Dave saves you before your pause becomes too noticeable. “He was over at my place. We lost track of time and didn’t realize it had gotten so late before we fell asleep. I promise we won’t let it happen again, Mr. Egbert.”

Dad stares you both down for a moment before letting out a sigh. “I suppose that is all I can ask for. Now, I have not had the pleasure of meeting your new friend, John. Care to introduce him?”

“Oh, right! Dad, this is my friend Dave. Dave this is my dad.” You never understood why your dad insisted on being so formal, but at least it prevents any awkward silences. 

Dad reaches out to shake Dave’s hand, which Dave takes after a brief hesitation. “It is good to meet you, Dave. I haven’t seen you around town before, did you just move in?”

Dave shrugs. “Nah, I just don’t get out much.” You can tell your dad doesn’t really believe him so you hurry to add to the explanation. 

“Dave’s home schooled, and he lives way out in the country. I just happened to run into him one day and we hit it off really well.” That sounds reasonable, right?

Your dad seems to accept it at least. “Well, I do hope I will see you around more often. Heaven knows John doesn’t get out as much as he should.” “Dad!” “Visits will have to wait for a week, however, as John is officially grounded.”

“Aw, man.” You guess that’s fair since you ran off without telling him (accident though it was), but still. Finishing off winter break while being grounded is going to be miserable. 

“Now I do believe you should head home, Dave. But let me go get something you can take to share with your family first.” Dad slips back into the house, no doubt to go round up numerous baked goods to send with Dave.

“Well, that could have went better,” you say as both you and Dave just stand there looking at where your dad had disappeared. 

“I thought it went pretty well, all things considered. Also got super lucky that Rose also came across a spell that can alter someone’s perception. Not sure what your dad would have thought about that handshake otherwise.” Oh, so that’s why Dad didn’t react to the odd texture of Dave’s hand. 

“So I guess you can’t come back over for a week now. But you’ll come back after that, right?”

Dave smirks and clasps a hand on your shoulder. “Already told you I wasn’t just going to ditch you. It sucks that you have to spend a whole week without my magnificent presence, but this will probably work out for the best since I know I won’t get out of this without some form of punishment too.”

Dad comes back before you can respond, practically shoving a huge bag of sweets into Dave’s hands. You watch as Dave lights up at the prospect of all the cake and cookies he will no doubt go gorge himself on once he gets home. You wonder if any of the rest of his family will even get to see those sweets. 

“Aw, hell yes. Thanks, Mr. Egbert. These will not go to waste.” Dave is genuinely smiling, holding the bag protectively to his chest. What a dork.

“Language. Though it’s good to see someone appreciate my baking.” Dad gestures for you to step into the house, which you reluctantly do. “Now I hate to rush you off but John’s grounding is effective immediately. It was good to meet you, and have a safe trip home.”

“Bye, Dave! I’ll see you later!” You wave at him as the door starts to close.

“See ya, John. Try not to miss me too much while we are apart.” Dave gives a small wave as he turns to head back to his world.

“Shut up, Dave!” He doesn’t respond, making a quick dash back to the forest and vanishing between the trees. You guess you can’t blame him for that, he must be freezing by this point. But you still hate to see your one and only friend leave and know that you won’t be able to see or even talk to him for at least a week. You close the door, heading further into the house where you just know your dad is waiting with even more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to wrap up. Next chapter will have some timeskips before finally bringing this story to a close. I'm hoping to have the final chapter out relatively sooner than this one, though I can't make any guarantees. 
> 
> Also as a special bonus for taking so long: The next chapter will not be the end of this AU. I have big plans for the future of this world and it won't be ending anytime soon. So you can look forward to that!
> 
> D's character design: http://arcanusanima.tumblr.com/post/150131306881/heres-the-eldest-strider-brother-from-frozen


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End is really just a new Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is guys. The final chapter of Frozen Lilacs. I am so happy that my first story, and first multi-chaptered story, has received so much praise. Thank you to everyone who has left a kudos, written a comment, drawn fan art, and even just read and enjoyed this story. 
> 
> That said this chapter does skip around a good bit, and I hope it doesn't sound too rushed. More on the future of this story down below!
> 
> Thank you again and enjoy!

The rest of your break goes surprisingly fast even with nothing to do. You spend most of your time reading and making shitty doodles, as being grounded means no television or computer privileges. Unfortunately, as the end of the week draws near you have to start thinking about going back to school. At least it’s something to take your mind off of Dave and his world. The final semester of your senior year dumps massive amounts of homework on you. It also brings with it the constant reminders that in a few short months you will be graduating and moving onto the next chapter of your life. You try not to think about it. 

It is two weeks before Dave comes back. He actually scares the hell out of you, showing up outside your window in the middle of the night. You have to quickly usher him in through the window before he manages to wake up your dad. At least he shows up bundled in a heavy cloak and other winter appropriate clothing so he’s not freezing this time. The two of you stay up the rest of the night, luckily it was the weekend, and make sure Dave is gone before your dad notices. He comes right back, this time knocking on the front door like a normal person so your dad sees him, and spends the rest of the day hanging out in your room as you catch up. When he leaves for his world you aren’t as sad to see him go, knowing that he definitely will be back soon. Your dad also sends more baking with him. Apparently his family had tried some of the last batch and demanded that Dave brought more back. Faeries really do like their sweets, and though you don’t care for them you know for a fact your dad makes some of the best.

That’s how the following weeks go, getting through school and waiting for the next visit from Dave. You never know when he will show up due to the time difference between your worlds. As such what you get to do when he does show up depends on when he shows up. Weekends allow you more time, which you spend going out for short trips around your small town. When Dave shows up during the week you spend the time hanging out at your house. You even set up a simple system so Dave can tell when you are home and when you aren’t. A red card in your window meant you were not home or it wasn’t okay for Dave to come in. A white card meant you weren't home, but Dave could come in and wait for you to come back. A blue card meant that you were home and that Dave could come in. It worked out well for the most part. Normally Dave would arrive early enough that your dad wasn’t home yet, so you didn’t have to worry about how he had a habit of climbing through your window.

As the year continues things start to go downhill. The offices where your dad works are talking about having to let some people go. You’re concerned that one of those people will be your dad, but he tells you not to worry about it even though you know he is saying just that. To make matters worse, school keeps burying you under more and more work and graduation crap. The work isn’t all that bad, more annoying than anything, but the constant reminders of going to college and knowing exactly what you want to do with your life are becoming really stressful.

The weather finally starts to change as April rolls around, replacing snow and ice with new growth. Dave greatly appreciates the change, though he does continue to complain about the temperature when he visits. Your birthday also draws closer and you are kind of excited to finally be eighteen. Not for any particular reason, it just feels kind of nice to finally be considered an adult. When you tell Dave that news he gets strangely excited and questions why you never told him sooner. You tell him that birthdays were never that big of a deal for you. Your dad would just make yet another cake, this one you would actually eat some of because he made it special, and watch movies for the night. And of course there would be some gifts, though nothing has compared to when your dad gave you Colonel Sassacre’s Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery for your thirteenth birthday. Nonetheless, Dave insures you that he will make sure to come back on your birthday and make it ‘the best damn celebration you have ever had.’

Your birthday falls on a Saturday this year, and just like normal Dad makes you a big dinner and a special cake. You sit through a few classic movie selections before excusing yourself to your room for the night. Dave has yet to show up, but you are still hopeful that he will come before the night is over. He did promise. A good hour passes with you switching between messing around with the new pranking items you got from Dad and laying on your bed and staring at the ceiling. Just as you are starting to doze off there is tapping at your window. You leap up and hurry to let Dave in, knowing from past experience that if you don’t get to the window quickly enough Dave will continue to play out whole songs on the glass. 

Dave slips in once you unlock the window, shaking slightly as his glamour fades away. He has a small sack with him that he drops on your bed before allowing you to perform your customary welcome hug. 

“I was wondering if you were going to make it in time,” you tell him as you take a step back. 

“Of course I made it. I’m like a master at timing. One of my titles should be the Prince of Time, that’s how good I am. Or maybe I would be a Knight instead, that sounds better.” Dave trails off, probably imagining the many possibilities of different titles he could have.

A snort escapes from you. “Right, because you managed to keep track of time so well when I went to your world,” you tease. 

Dave frowns as you retreat back to your bed to investigate the bag he brought. “That was one time and we kept getting sidetracked so that doesn’t count.”

“Uh huh, sure.” You jump up on your bed, pulling the bag to your side. “So what’s up with this?”

Dave grabs your desk chair and turns it around so he can sit down without his wings getting in the way. “Did you think I would come to celebrate your birthday without bringing presents? And my siblings sent some stuff to, you kind of made an impression. Go ahead and open it.”

You do so, untying the rope keeping the sack closed. “They really didn’t have to get me anything. I mean, they barely even know me.”

The first item you dig out is a heavy book, bound in some odd plant material and no title on the front. Opening it you see the words A Brief History of Skaia and the Rise of Derse written in flowing, handwritten script. Beneath that are the letters RL in the same style.

“Woah. Did Rose seriously go and write a whole book just for me?” You almost hope that's not the case as that is way too much for someone who only met you once. “Though I guess it could be by someone else with the same initials.”

“Yeah, that’s all Rose’s work. She actually has a good number of books published, though those are all fiction. At least I hope they are...” Dave mutters that last part and you decide it’s better to just not ask. “If it makes you feel any better about it she apparently started writing this right after you visited. Said she had Seen this coming or something.”

You place the book safely on your nightstand where it won’t get damaged. “Wow, that is amazing and I really wish I could thank her in person. Do you think she would like it if I send a bunch of cake and stuff back for her?”

“Dude, everyone would like that. Your dad makes the best sweets ever.”

“Well, I will definitely send a ton of that stuff with you.” 

The next item you pull out from the bag is wrapped in its own small sack. You pull off the material to reveal a wooden cube about the size of your hand. It’s surface is broken into smaller squares much like a Rubix cube except with many more squares on each side. On some of the smaller squares there are tiny symbols engraved into them. You turn whatever it is around in your hands before looking back up at Dave in confusion.

“That’s from Hal and Dirk. It’s a puzzle box. The object is to change it into different shapes. Normally there’s only a couple different shapes you can make with them but Dirk made this thing himself so I’m not actually sure what all this thing can turn into. But here, see these runes on some of the slots?” Dave reaches forward and presses down one of the symbols. It lights up a bright red and when he slides his finger away the tile multiplies so that there are three new squares branching off from the original. “The circular runes are made for storage and will either expand or collapse extra pieces.” A quick swipe and the cube returns to its original form. “This triangular rune,” Dave points to one of the corners on the cube, “will shift all of the tiles into different shapes so you can make a sphere and stuff. This will only work when the pieces are in the right position to change, so like right now it won’t do anything. Finally, this diamond-shape rune will revert the puzzle back to the last shape you made. If you get stuck and want to start over this is what will make that happen.”

Looking at the cube with new fascination you start to shift and slide pieces around, discovering that whole sections could be moved at a time. You reluctantly reset the box and place it beside you after several minutes of playing with it. Dave never says anything through it all, allowing you to enjoy your gift. 

A much larger bundle makes up the next present. Inside are a number of strange foods and even some drinks, each encased in a glass container.

“I think Roxy just raided the kitchens and sent whatever she found. Oh, Roxy is Rose’s sister, you didn’t get to meet her before.”

You move all of the containers off to the side. “I certainly won’t pass up free food!” Especially not food that is from a different world. If it’s anything like that one dish you had tried before these should be amazing. 

You peek into the bag to see a bundle of material sitting at the very bottom. Pulling it out you marvel at the silky feel of the material.

“I have know idea what that is. That was not in there when I put everything else in that bag.” You look up to see Dave frowning at the bundle in your hands. “I have a bad feeling I know who it’s from, though.”

Thinking through the list of people you met only one comes to mind that would be of any cause for concern. Well, two people actually would concern you, but the other already had a part in making the puzzle cube. So that leaves, “Bro wouldn’t send anything that weird, would he?”

Dave grimaces. “He makes these creepy as hell puppets and leaves them around the castle to terrify anyone who finds them. Nothing surprises me anymore from him.”

You stare down at the material wearily. “Right. Well, let’s see how bad this is.” You let the cloth unfold, revealing a bright blue dress. “Yeah, that’s about what I was expecting.” 

Dave groans and drops his head into his arms. “I am so sorry about him.” 

“It’s fine. I mean it’s not like you told him to do this.” You gather the dress back up into a much less neat bundle then it started out as. A paper flutters to the ground when you do so, and you reach down to pick it up off the floor. The only thing on it is a large rune that looks exactly like the one on the puzzle box that let you expand the tiles. “What’s this?”

You tap on the center of the rune and then have to scramble to catch the small stack of books that suddenly appear. “Holy crap! I didn’t know you could keep bigger things in these runes.”

Dave lifts his head back up. “Yeah, they’re fairly common for traveling with supplies and stuff. The only downside to them is that whatever you want to put into the runes has to fit within the boundaries of the rune. So bigger items need bigger runes to be drawn and you can’t bend or crease the rune or it won’t work anymore. Which is why there are other, more effective ways to transport larger items. But for simple things just using these runes on paper works well enough.”

“Huh, that’s still really cool. And it must make traveling to places so much easier.” The new books join the one from Rose on your dresser to look at later. You catch Dave fidgeting from the corner of your eye and when you look back at him he has another package in his hands.

He leans over and places it in your hands. “Naturally I saved the best for last. Happy birthday, John.” 

“I don’t know, Dave. You have some pretty tough presents to beat.” You pull open the bag and  then have to spend a few moments just staring at what is inside of it. A stylized phoenix made out of what looks like crystal that fades from dark blue to clear at the edges sits majestically in your hands. The wings are outstretched as if prepared to take flight and long tail feathers trail out behind it. It glows faintly in the dim light of your room, the blue shining a brighter shade while the clear parts give off a red light strangely enough. The figure is warm in your hands even through the bag, which you doubt is lingering heat from Dave holding it. 

“Dave, this is amazing. It looks so lifelike.” You lift the bird closer to your face so you can really see all of the tiny details. Every feather is perfect down to the smallest detail, and the way the body has been carved out makes it seem like any minute it could move. There are also small runes that have been painstaking etched impossibly small all over the body and wings, only noticeable when you are looking this close.

“I hope I got all of the details right. I’ve never really worked with something that small and detailed before.

You look up at him in shock. “Wait, you made this?” 

“Yep. Made it with my own two hands and a good bit of fire magic.” He’s sitting up proudly in the chair now, obviously pleased that you like his gift. 

You look at the figure with even more appreciation for the quality. This must have taken Dave so long to create, and it is incredibly touching that he would go to all that effort just for a birthday gift.

“But you haven’t even seen the best part about it yet. Go ahead and pick it up.”

You almost don't want to do that, worried that you might inadvertently damage or ruin it somehow. You barely trust yourself holding it securely with both hands while keeping the bag around it to protect it. Dave did just basically say it was okay though, so you hesitantly shift one hand to lift it up. As soon as your fingers come into contact with the figure its glow flares brightly. You watch in awe as wingtips begin to soften, the effect slowly spreading down until both wings slowly curl back towards its body. The head shifts next, large eyes blinking sluggishly as the rest of its body comes to life. The small phoenix shifts from one leg to another, testing out its wings with a few tentative downstrokes. Then with a valiant cry it leaps out of your hands and soars across the room. It begins circling your room, leaving a small trail of blue and red light behind it.

“Dave, what in the world did you make?” you ask, unable to take your eyes off the flying phoenix doing laps around your ceiling. 

“It’s not from this world, that’s kind of the point, dude.” You take a moment to scowl at Dave who just smirks. “To answer your question, it’s an animated golem of sorts. You create a body out of a material of your choice, carve the appropriate runes into it, and then supply it with enough power to get it moving the first time. It only works for smaller figures though, the bigger a body you need to animate is the larger amount of power you need. Plus keeping them charged is nearly impossible. But it works well enough for something this small. So, what do you think?”

You manage to tear your eyes away from the phoenix, getting up from your bed and going over to pull Dave to his feet. You proceed to crush him in the biggest hug you can possible give. “I think this is one of the best gifts anyone has ever given to me. Thank you so much, Dave.”

Dave wraps his arms around you, chuckling lightly at your enthusiasm. “Of course. You mean a lot to me, John. I just want to see you happy.”

The two of you stay like that for some time, only separating when your new phoenix settles down on your shoulder and breaks the mood. You are both a bit awkward after that but soon fall back to your normal banter. Dave explains that the phoenix, you really need to think of a name for them, will only listen to what you say. It can also sense when any magically inclined beings are near. Not that that will be particularly useful here besides letting you know when Dave shows up. It can also apparently sense spirits though, so maybe you can take them out sometimes and see if you can’t go find some ghosts!

Dave stays with you well into the next day. Your dad had to go into work early again so you have the run of the house. When Dave has to leave again you make sure to send massive amounts of the baked goods clogging up your kitchen with him. You make him promise to give some to all of his family and to thank them for the amazing gifts they got you. The two of you walk back to the veil together, and you manage to get in another hug before Dave disappears back to his world. You travel back home with a smile, your phoenix cooing happily from their spot nestled in your hair where they have taken a liking to staying. You have a feeling that having your new friend around is going to be very similar to when Dave was stuck as a sprite.

The following weeks slowly drag your good mood into the ground despite the presence of your new friend. Everyone at school is always talking excited of where they will be going to college in the fall, or how they have these amazing jobs already set up as they take some time off from school. Whenever someone actually bothers to ask you what your plans are you can only smile awkwardly and shrug, saying you don’t know what you are going to do yet. Even the teachers just go on and on about how great college is in between giving you more homework and tests. And if all of that wasn’t enough Dad comes home every night more and more stressed out with the situation at work. People in other departments have lost their jobs already, and it is only a matter of time before they get to your dad’s department. Neither of you mention it, but the worry that your dad may lose his job hangs heavy in the air.

May comes soon enough, and with it more bad news. You return home from school one day to find your dad already there. The office finally went through with cutting back on personnel in his department, and your father was one of the people they decided to let go. It’s a solemn night, dinner is quiet as you both wonder just what you are going to do next. You have some money saved up from what your grandmother left you but that won’t last forever. And with how few good job opportunities there are in the town it’s not likely your dad will be able to find another job anytime soon. You both retire to your rooms early that night. Thankfully Skylark, your phoenix who you finally thought of a good name for, senses your mood and offers what support they can by staying as close to you as possible. 

When Dave returns next he quickly picks up that something happened. You explain what had occurred. How your dad lost his job, that you have no idea what you want to do with your life after high school. That you honestly hate how you can’t see Dave whenever you want. Everything just spills over, months of bottling up your emotions finally at the breaking point. Dave comforts you through it all, listening quietly while holding you close. He lets you work it all out, never making a comment about the tears that slip down your cheeks. Eventually you start to calm down, having worn yourself out more than actually feeling much better. You and Dave end up just sitting there the rest of the time until Dave has to leave once again. Before he goes he tells you that he is going to look into something that could help with your situation. You are scared to let it happen, but you begin to think that there might be some hope yet. 

School finishes before you see Dave again. You graduate with little fanfare, though walking across the stage and getting your diploma fills you with pride that you made it. There are multiple parties you hear about that are happening later to celebrate getting through high school, but you have no plans to go to any of them. Not that you got any invitations to go anyway. Instead you spend that night watching Skylark perform aerial acrobatics around your room as you hope that today would be the day Dave returned.

You are out in the forest the next day, playing with Skylark when the phoenix suddenly takes off deeper into the trees with excited cries. You run after them, wondering just where they is going. Your confusion turns into glee when you spot Dave standing in a clearing with Skylark circling his head. 

“Dave!” You slam into him at full speed, nearly sending you both to the ground. Dave catches you though, wrapping his arms around you to return the hug. 

“Woah, there. Nice to see you too, John.” 

You lean back so you can grin up at him, Skylark landing on your head still peeping happily. “What took you so long? It’s been nearly a month since last time.”

Dave winces slightly at that. “Damn, I was hoping it wouldn’t have been that long. D took a lot longer to convince than I thought.” He trails off slightly before gazing down at you intently. “Alright, serious question time. John, you liked Skaia, right?”

Your face scrunches up in confusion. “Well, yeah. I mean from what I got to see it was really great.” Where was he going with this?

“What would you think about living there?”

That was not what you were expecting. “I, what? Are you serious?” 

“Completely serious. When you told me what was going on here I knew I couldn’t just do nothing. So the first thing I thought of was what if you could just come live with us? You wouldn’t have to worry about going off to some secondary schooling and we would actually get to see each other more. It was win-win.”

“That sounds so amazing. I mean, getting to live in a world full of magical beings would be the best.” That would honestly be a dream come true. Getting to stay with your first real friend, living in a magical world where there is so much to discover. What could be better? However. “But I wouldn’t just abandon my dad here.”

Dave remains smiling. “I know you would never do that. That’s actually what took so long, I had to convince my bro to allow your dad to come with. But considering all the sweets he sent back to us he eventually caved so long as your dad bakes more for us.”

If that’s the case, you see no downside. “Dave, you are the best!” You hug him again, grinning into his shoulder. Then you realize something. “Oh, shit. This means we have to explain everything to my dad.”

Dave nods. “Yeah, already thought about that. I figured we could talk to him, let him see my real form and all that. Plus D sent some letter thing to help explain stuff.”

You step away, grabbing onto Dave’s hand and tugging him back towards your house. “Come on, then! The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can go back to Skaia!”

As you walk back the two of you discuss how to best break the news to your dad. You decide it will be best for Dave to stay in his glamour until you can ease into the idea of faeries and parallel worlds. When you get home you go find your dad in his office, telling him that you need to talk. The three of you end up at the kitchen table where your dad lays out various snacks and drinks. Dad quickly catches on that what you want to talk about is serious, as Dave doesn’t immediately reach for some of the baking. 

You and Dave take turns explaining everything, from how you saved Dave to seeing Skaia. When you finish Dave stands up and drops his glamour. You also let Skylark come out of their hiding spot in your jacket, where they proceed to fly over and pick at some of the food. That finally startles a reaction out of your dad and he starts to accept that what you have been saying is true. You all settle back down and Dave describes his plan for you to move to Skaia. He hands a thick stack of folded parchment to your dad, saying that his brother probably does a better job explaining. Dad takes the papers and asks for some time to go over everything. You take Dave back up to your room to wait, letting Skylark fly around the two of you. 

Your dad calls you back down after some time. You shuffle nervously as you await his answer. You really want to go live in Skaia, to not have to worry about going to college or getting a job or have your dad constantly worried about what he is going to do about his own job problems. Plus you really want to get to know Dave’s family and world more, not to mention staying with Dave all the time. Finally Dad tells you that so long as you going with Dave won’t cause any problems he accepts the offer. You cheer loudly, grabbing both of Dave’s hands and jumping excitedly. Dave is also grinning widely, Skylark fluttering around above you.

Dad interrupts you by saying it will take a bit of time to get everything sorted out for you to leave. You deflate slightly, but Dave had anticipated this. He needs to go back and tell D that you accepted his offer so that things can be readied for your arrival. That will also give you time to settle things here as well as pack up anything you want to take with you. Dave brings out several items to help you pack, telling you that they all use the same magic as the storage runes. He leaves you with your own veil stone to travel to Skaia when you are ready. 

The next few days are a huge scramble to pack up all of your belongings while your dad finalizes all the other stuff. It takes the better part of two weeks for everything to be squared away and by that time you are more than ready to leave. You will miss your house and even the town where you grew up, but you are much more looking forward to starting a new life in a world full of magic. You lead the way to the veil, weighed down only slightly by all of the bags that carry basically everything you own. When you reach the clearing the veil stone starts reacting and reveals the odd warp in space. Your dad looks mildly concerned, but you assure him that it is completely safe. You walk through together, leaving your world behind.

Skaia is just as warm as you remember it is the first thing that comes to mind when the world comes back into focus. You look around, wondering if you could get back to the castle from here. A sharp caw snaps your attention to a tree to your right where one of D’s ravens is perched. It swoops down to drop a piece of parchment at your feet before taking off. You pick up the note, which states to just stay put and that someone will be there shortly. Sure enough there is the sound of wings just before Dave drops down in front of you. You drop the bags you are carrying in order to run at him and tackle him in a hug. You barely notice another person arriving the same way Dave did, too caught up in your excitement. When you turn back to get your stuff you see Bro has commandeered most of your bags as well as your dad’s. You pick up what remains so you can get moving.

The four of you walk to the castle amidst friendly conversation. This time you skirt around the marketplace, most likely to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. You start to speed up when the castle gets closer, Dave keeping pace as you leave the adults behind. When you stand in front of the doors you have to take a moment to pause and let the fact that this is really happening. Dave stands next to you, following your gaze to stare up at where you will now be living. The silence is broken when Dave says two words to you, making a warm feeling settle in your chest.

“Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so Frozen Lilacs draws to a close. Once again thank you to everyone who has encouraged me to keep going on this story. As I mentioned before this is not the end of this universe! There will be a parallel DirkJake story that happens during the same time as Frozen Lilacs. After that story is complete there will be a sequel to both stories where there will be more expansion on the world and culture as well as much more romance. So be on the lookout for that!
> 
> I received some absolutely amazing fan art for this story!
> 
> [synodicatalyst]() drew [this beautiful picture]() of Dave
> 
> [gip-sketch]() drew [this fantastic picture]() of the confrontation scene in chapter 2


End file.
